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METAL  SPINNING 

PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   ART,    AND    TOOLS 
AND   METHODS   USED 


SECOND   EDITION 


MACHINERY'S  REFERENCE  BOOK  NO.  57 
PUBLISHED  BY  MACHINERY,  NEW  YORK 


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MACHINERY'S  REFERENCE  BOOKS 

This  treatise  is  one  unit  in  a  comprehensive  Series  of  Reference  books  originated 
by  Machinery,  and  including  an  indefinite  number  of  compact  units,  each  covering 
one  subject  thoroughly.  The  whole  series  comprises  a  complete  working  library 
of  mechanical  literature.  The  price  of  each  books  is  25  cents  (one  shilling)  de- 
livered anywhere  in  the  world. 


LIST    OF   REFERENCE    BOOKS 


No.  1.  Worm  Gearing. — Calculating  Di- 
mensions; Hobs;  Location  of  Pitch  Cir- 
cle;   Self-Locking    Worm    Gearing,    etc. 

No.  2.  Drafting-Room  Practice  . — 
Systems;  Tracing,  Lettering  and  Mount- 
ing. 

No.  3.  Drill  Jigs. — Principles  of  Drill 
Jigs;    Jig  Plates;    Examples   of   Jigs. 

No.  4.  Milling  Fixtures. — Principles  of 
Fixtures;    Examples   of   Design. 

No.  5.  Pirst  Principles  of  Theoretical 
Mechanics. 

No.  6.  Punch  and  Die  Work. — Princi- 
ples of  Punch  and  Die  Work;  Making  and 
Using  Dies;   Die  and  Punch  Design. 

No.  7.  Lathe  and  Planer  Tools. — Cut- 
ting Tools;  Boring  Tools;  Shape  of  Stan- 
dard Shop   Tools;   Forming   Tools. 

No.  8.  Working  Drawings  and  Draft- 
ing Boom  Kinks. 

No.  9.  Designing  and  Cutting  Cams. — 
Drafting  of  Cams;  Cam  Curves;  Cam  De- 
sign and  Cam   Cutting. 

No.  10.  Examples  of  Machine  Shop 
Practice. — Cutting  .Bevel  Gears;  Making 
a  Worm-Gear;   Spindle   Construction. 

No.  11.  Bearings. — Design  of  Bear- 
ings; Causes  of  Hot  Bearings;  Alloys 
for  Bearings;   Friction  and  Lubrication. 

No.  12.     Out    of   print. 

No.  13.  Blanking  Dies. — Making  Blank- 
ing Dies;  Blanking  and  Piercing  Dies; 
Split  Dies;   Novel   Ideas  in  Die  Making. 

No.  14.  Details  of  Machine  Tool  De- 
sign.— Cone  Pulleys  and  Belts;  Strength 
of  Countershafts;  Tumbler  Gear  Design; 
Faults  of  Iron  Castings. 

No.  15.  Spur  Gearing. — Dimensions; 
Design;    Strength;    Durability. 

No.  16.  Machine  Tool  Drives. — Speeds 
and  Feeds;  Single  Pulley  Drives;  Drives 
for  High  Speed  Cutting  Tools. 

No.  17.  Strength  of  Cylinders. — For- 
mulas,  Charts,   and   Diagrams. 

No.  18.  Shop  Arithmetic  for  the  Ma- 
chinist.— Tapers;  Change  Gears;  Cutting 
Speeds;  Feeds;  Indexing;  Gearing  for  Cut- 
ting  Spirals;    Angles. 

No.  19.  Use  of  Formulas  in  Mechanics. 
— With  numerous  applications.  .•. 

No.  20.     Spiral  Gearing. — Rules,  Formu- ; 
las,  and  Diagrams,  etc.  ••• 

No.  21.  Measuring  Tools. — History  of 
Standard  Measurements;  Calipers;  Com- 
passes ;     Micrometer     Tools;     Protractors. 

No.  22.  Calculation  of  Elements  of 
Machine  Design. — Factor  of  Safety; 
Strength  of  Bolts;  Riveted  Joints;  Keys 
and  Key  ways;    Toggle-joints. 

No.  23.  Theory  of  Crane  Design. — Jib 
Cranes;  Shafts,  Gears,  and  Bearings; 
Force  to  Move  Crane  Trolleys;  Pillar 
Cranes. 


No.  24.  Examples  of  Calculating  De- 
signs.— Charts  in  Designing;  Punch  and 
Riveter  Frames;  Shear  Frames;  Billet 
and  Bar  Passes;  etc. 

No.  25.  Deep  Hole  Drilling. — Methods 
of  Drilling;  Construction  of  Drills. 

No.  26.  Modern  Punch  and  Die  Con- 
struction.— Construction  and  Use  of  Sub- 
press  Dies;  Modern  Blanking  Die  Con- 
struction; Drawing  and  Forming  Dies. 

No.  27.  Locomotive  Design,  Part  I. — 
Boilers,   Cylinders,    Pipes   and   Pistons. 

No.  28.  Locomotive  Design,  Part  II. — 
Stephenson  and  Walschaerts  Valve  Mo- 
tions;   Theory,    Calculation    and    Design. 

No.  29.  Locomotive  Design,  Part  III. 
— Smokebox;  Exhaust  Pipe;  Frames; 
Cross-heads;  Guide  Bars;  Connecting-rods; 
Crank-pins;    Axles;    Driving-wheels. 

No.  30.  Locomotive  Design,  Part  IV. — 
Springs,   Trucks,   Cab   and   Tender. 

No.  31.     Screw  Thread  Tools  and  Gages. 

No.  32.  Screw  Thread  Cutting. — Lathe 
Change  Gears;   Thread  Tools;  Kinks. 

No.  33.  Systems  and  Practice  of  the 
Drafting-Boom. 

No.  34.  Care  and  Repair  of  Dynamos 
and  Motors. 

No.  35.  Tables  and  Formulas  for  Shop 
and  Drafting-Boom. — The  Use  of  Formu- 
las; Solution  of  Triangles;  Strength  of 
Materials;  Gearing;  Screw  Threads;  Tap 
Drills;    Drill    Sizes;    Tapers;    Keys,    etc. 

No.  36.  Iron  and  Steel. — Principles  of 
Manufacture  and  Treatment. 

No.  37.  Bevel  Gearing. — Rules  and 
Formulas;  Examples  of  Calculation; 
Tooth  Outlines;  Strength  and  Durability; 
Design;  Methods  of  Cutting  Teeth. 

No.  38.     Out  of  print.      See  No.   98. 

No.  39.  Fans,  Ventilation  and  Heating. 
— Fans;  Heaters;  Shop  Heating. 

No.  40.  Fly  Wheels. — T  heir  Purpose, 
Calculation  and  Design. 

No.  41.  Jigs  and  Fixtures,  Part  I. — 
Principles  of  Design;  Drill  Jig  Bushings; 
Locating   Points;   Clamping   Devices. 

No.  42.  Jigs  and  Fixtures,  Part  II. — 
Open  and  Closed  Drill  Jigs. 

No.  43.     Jigs   and  Fixtures,  Part  III. — 
iBoring  and  Milling  Fixtures. 
I     No.  44.     Machine    Blacksmithing. — Sys- 
' 'terns,  Tools  and  Machines  used. 

No.  45.  Drop  Forging.  —  Lay-out  of 
Plant;   Methods  of  Drop  Forging;   Dies. 

No.  46.  Hardening  and  Tempering. — 
Hardening  Plants;  Treating  High-Speed 
Steel;       Hardening       Gages. 

No.  47.  Electric  Overhead  Cranes. — 
Design  and  Calculation. 

No.  48.  Files  and  Filing. — Types  of 
Files;  Using  and  Making  Files. 

No.  49.  Girders  for  Electric  Overhead 
Cranes. 


(See  inside  back  cover  for  additional  titles) 


MACHINERY'S  REFERENCE  SERIES 

EACH     NUMBER     IS     ONE     UNIT    IN    A    COMPLETE     LIBRARY     OF 

MACHINE   DESIGN   AND   SHOP   PRACTICE   REVISED   AND 

REPUBLISHED     FROM     MACHINERY 


NUMBER  57 


METAL  SPINNING 


Second  Edition 


CONTENTS 


Principles  of  Metal  Spinning,  by  C.  Tuells    -        -        -      3 

Tools  and  Methods  Used  in  Metal  Spinning-,  by  William 
A.  Painter 15 


Copyright,  1912,  The  Industrial  Press,  Publishers  of  Machinery 
49-55  Lafayette  Street,  New  York  City 


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CHAPTER   I 


PRINCIPLES  OP  METAL  SPINNING* 

Metal  spinning,  that  process  of  sheet  metal  goods  manufacturing 
which  deals  with  the  forming  of  sheet  metal  into  circular  shapes  of 
great  variety  by  means  of  the  lathe,  forms  and  hand-tools,  is  full  of 
kinks  and  schemes  peculiar  to  itself.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  treatise 
to  give  a  description  of  spinning  in  general,  and  to  outline  some  of 
the  methods  and  tools  used  in  spinning  for  rapid  production. 

The  products  of  metal  spinning  are  used  in  a  great  many  lines  of 
manufacture.  Examples  of  this  work  are  chandelier  parts,  cooking 
utensils,  silver  and  brittania  hollow-ware,  automobile  lamps,  cane- 
heads  and  many  other  sheet  metal  specialties.  Brass,  copper,  zinc, 
aluminum,  iron,  soft  steel,  and,  in  fact  nearly  all  metals  yield  readily 
to  the  spinner's  skill.  At  best  spinning  is  physically  hard  work,  and 
the  softer  the  stock,  the  easier  and  quicker  the  spinner  can  transform 
it  into  the  required  product. 

There  are  but  two  practical  ways  of  forming  pieces  of  sheet  metal 
into  hollow  circular  articles:  by  dies  and  by  spinning.  By  far  the 
cheapest  and  best  method  of  producing  quantities  of  this  class  of 
work  is  by  the  use  of  dies,  but  there  are  many  cases  where  it  is  im- 
practical or  impossible  to  follow  this  course.  Dies  are  expensive  and 
there  is  constant  danger  of  breakage,  whereas  spinning  forms  are 
easily  and  cheaply  made  and  are  almost  never  damaged  by  use  be- 
yond a  reasonable  amount  of  wear.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  when 
the  production  is  small,  it  does  not  pay  to  make  costly  dies.  Again, 
the  styles  or  designs  of  many  articles  that  are  spun  are  constantly 
being  changed;  if  made  by  dies  each  change  would  necessitate  a  new 
die,  while  in  spinning  merely  a. new  wooden  form  is  required — and 
sometimes  the  old  form  can  be  altered,  costing  practically  nothing. 
Still  other  advantages  of  spinning  are  that  in  working  soft  steel,  a 
much  cheaper  grade  may  be  spun  than  can  be  drawn  with  dies; 
beads  may  be  rolled  at  the  edges  of  shells  at  little  expense;  experi- 
mental pieces  may  be  made  quickly,  and,  added  to  these  features 
comes  the  fact  that  very  difficult  work  that  cannot  possibly  be  made 
with  dies  can  be  spun  with  comparative  ease.  It  must  not  be  con- 
strued from  the  above  that  spinning  is  to  be  preferred  to  die  work 
in  all  or  even  in  the  majority  of  cases,  because,  on  the  contrary,  die 
work  is  a  more  economical  method  of  manufacture,  and  should  always 
be  used  when  possible  on  production  work.  The  cases  already  cited 
are  merely  given  to  point  out  some  o€  the  instances  in  which,  for 
economical  reasons,  spinning  is  to  be  preferred  to  die  work. 


*  Machinery,  December,  1909. 


4  No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 

The  Spinning-  Lathe 

The  principal  tool  used  in  the  operation  of  spinning  is  the  spinning 
lathe,  shown  in  Fig.  1.  While  in  many  respects  this  machine  is  simi- 
lar to  any  other  lathe,  it  is  built  without  back-gears,  carriage  or  lead- 
screw,  is  very  rigid  in  construction,  and,  on  the  whole,  very  much 
resembles  a  speed  lathe.  Like  other  lathes,  the  spinning  lathe  is  fit- 
ted with  a  cone  pulley  (preferably  of  wood,  because  of  its  lightness 
and  gripping  qualities),  allowing  the  use  of  four  or  five  different 
speeds.  Speed  is  an  important  factor  in  spinning.  Arbitrary  rules 
for   spinning   speeds    cannot   be    given,    as   the   thicker    the    stock   the 


Fig.  1      Spinning:  Lathe 

slower  must  be  the  speed;  thus  while  1/32-inch  iron  can  be  readily 
spun  at  600  revolutions,  1/16-inch  iron  would  necessitate  reducing 
the  speed  to  400  revolutions  per  minute.  Zinc  spins  best  at  from 
1,000  to  1,400  revolutions;  copper  works  well  at  800  to  1,000;  brass 
and  aluminum  require  practically  the  same  speed,  from  800  to  1,200; 
while  the  comparatively  slow  speed  of  300  to  600  revolutions  is  effect- 
ive on  iron  and  soft  steel.  Brittania  and  silver  spin  best  at  speeds 
from  800  to  1,000  revolutions. 

One  of  the  essential  parts  of  the  spinning  lathe  is  the  T-rest.  The 
base  of  this  rest  is  movable  on  the  ways  of  the  lathe,  and  it  has  at 
the  side  nearest  the  operator,  a  stud  about  four  inches  in  diameter 
and   six    inches    high,    through    which    is    swiveled    the    T-rest    proper. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  METAL  SPINNING  5 

As  the  illustration  shows,  provision  is  made  for  raising  and  lowering 
the  rest,  and  the  entire  rest  may  be  clamped  in  any  desired  position 
by  means  of  the  hand-wheel  shown  beneath  the  ways.  The  rest  proper 
consists  of  an  arm,  12  to  15  inches  long,  similar  to  a  wood  turner's 
rest,  and  through  the  face  of  this  arm  are  from  twelve  to  sixteen 
closely  spaced  %-inch  holes.  These  holes  are  to  receive  the  pin 
against  which  the  hand  tools  are  held  while  spinning.  The  pin  is 
three  inches  long  and  of  %-inch  steel,  turned  down  on  one  end  to 
loosely  fit  the  holes  in  the  rest. 

Another    important    part    of    the    spinning    lathe    is    the    tail-center. 
This  center  is  sometimes  the  ordinary  dead  center  that  is  in  general 


Fig.  2.  Revolving  Center 


Pig.  3.     Sectional  Spinning  Chuck 

machine  shop  use,  but  nearly  all  spinners  use  the  revolving  center, 
shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  revolving  center  is  %  inch  diameter  (without 
taper)  and  about  six  inches  long,  and  is  fitted  into  the  socket  in  which 
it  runs;  this  socket  is,  in  turn,  fitted  to  the  taper  hole  in  the  tail- 
stock.  At  the  bottom  of  the  hole  in  the  socket  are  two  steel  buttons, 
hardened  and  ground  convex  on  their  faces.  These  buttons  act  as 
ball  bearings  and  reduce  friction  to  a  minimum. 

Forms  and  Chucks  for  Spinning' 

The  shape  of  a  shell  made  by  spinning  is  dependent  on  the  form  or 
chuck  upon  which  the  metal  is  spun.  Forms  are  used  for  plain  spin- 
ning where  the  shape  of  the  shell  will  permit  of  its  being  readily 
taken  from  the  form  after  the  spinning  has  been  completed;  but  when 
the  shape  of  the  shell  is  such  that  it  will  not  "draw,"  as  the  molders 
say,  it  becomes  necessary  to  employ  sectional  chucks,  similar  to  the 


6  No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 

one  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Generally  speaking,  spinning  forms  are  made 
of  kiln  dried  maple.  After  being  bored  and  threaded  to  fit  the  lathe 
spindle,  the  spinner  turns  the  maple  block  to  agree  with  a  templet 
shaped  in  outline  to  the  sample  shell.  When  no  sample  is  furnished: 
the  templet  must  be  laid  out  from  a  sketch  or  drawing;  in  either 
case  proper  allowance  is  made  for  the  thickness  of  the  stock.  When 
large  quantities  of  shells  are  to  be  spun,  all  alike,  the  form  is  some- 
times made  of  lignum  vitge.  Another  method  is  to  turn  the  maple 
form  small  enough  so  that  one  shell  may  be  spun  and  cemented  to  it 
and  then  this  metal-cased  form  is  used  to  spin  the  balance  of  the 
shells.  For  continuous  spinning,  forms  are  made  of  cast  iron  or  steel, 
which  of  course  makes  a  most  satisfactory  surface  to  spin  on  and 
gives  indefinite  service. 


Xa  ch  in  cj-t/^A'.  T. 


Fig.  4.    Quick  Method  of  Spinning  Difficult 
Shell  Without  Sectional  Chuck 


Fig.  5.     Spinning  on 
Plugs 


A  sectional  or  "split"  chuck,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is,  as  the 
name  implies,  a  spinning  chuck  or  form  which  may  be  taken  apart 
in  sections  after  the  shell  has  been  spun  over  it.  As  before  stated, 
this  class  of  spinning  chuck  is  only  used  when  the  finished  shell  could 
not  be  removed  from  an  ordinary  form  after  spinning.  After  a  shell 
has  been  spun  over  a  sectional  chuck,  the  shell  and  the  sections  of 
the  chuck  are  together  pulled  lengthwise  from  the  core  of  the  chuck. 
Then,  starting  with  the  key  section,  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  remove 
each  section  from  the  inside  of  the  shell.  As  the  sections  are  removed, 
they  are  replaced  upon  the  core,  slipped  under  the  retaining  flange  and 
the  chuck  is  ready  for  spinning  a  new  shell.  The  whole  operation  of 
removing  and  replacing  the  sections  of  a  chuck  takes  less  time  than 
it  does  to  tell  it,  and,  as  the  sections  are  of  different  sizes,  it  is  easy 
to  replace  them  in  the  proper  order.  Like  other  forms,  sectional 
chucks  are  made  of  wood  or  metal,  according  to  the  requirements  of 
the  jcb.  The  core  and  retaining  ring  are  first  made  from  one  piece 
and  then  the  sections  are  turned  in  a  continuous  ring  and  split  with 
a  fine  saw.  In  some  cases  it  is  necessary  to  add  a  small  piece  to  the 
last  section  to  make  up  for  the  stock  lost  in  splitting  the  sections. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  METAL  SPINNING  7 

Another  kind  of  sectional  chuck,  known  to  the  trade  as  a  "plug" 
(shown  in  Fig.  5)  is  used  extensively  in  some  shops  in  cases  where 
the  shell  must  have  projections  or  shoulders  at  both  ends,  and  no 
bottom  to  the  shell  is  required.  In  making  the  plug,  which  is  always 
in  two  parts,  the  first  half  is  turned  to  take  the  shell  from  one  end 
to  the  center  of  the  smallest  diameter.  Into  the  end  of  this  part  is 
bored  a  hole  to  which  is  fitted  the  end  of  the  second  part,  which  is 
afterwards  turned  to  fit  the  shell.  Over  this  two-part  plug  the  shell 
is  spun;  then  the  bottom  of  the  shell  is  cut  out  and  the  first  half  of 
the  plug  removed,  thus  allowing  the  shell  to  be  withdrawn.  The  first 
part  is  then  replaced  and  the  plug  is  ready  for  use  again.  Fig.  4 
shows  a  method  of  spinning  difficult  shells  that  ordinarily  would  re- 
quire a  sectional  chuck.  The  shell  shown  at  the  left  of  Fig.  4  is  first 
spun  as  far  as  the  bulged  part  on  an  ordinary  form  that  ends  at  this 


Fig.  6.    Three  Types  of  Followers 

point.  Then  after  annealing,  it  is  replaced  on  the  form  and  while 
another  operator  holds  the  wooden  .arm,  supported  with  a  pin  in  the 
T-rest,  the  spinner  forms  the  metal  o.round  the  bulge-shaped  end  of 
the  arm.  The  arm,  being  stationary  on  the  inside  of  the  shell,  acts  as 
a  continuation  of  the  spinning  form,  and  by  this  method  as  good  a 
shell  is  obtained  as  could  be  spun  with  a  sectional  chuck. 

For  spinning  operations  upon  tubing  or  press-drawn  tubes,  steel 
arbors  are  generally  used.  Tubing  may  be  readily  spun  upon  an  arbor 
and  it  can  be  reduced  or  expanded  to  comply  with  the  shape  of  shell 
required  much  more  quickly  than  the  shell  could  be  spun  from  the 
blank. 

Followers 

For  holding  the  sheet  metal  blank  to  the  spinning  form,  a  block 
of  wood  known  as  the  follower,  is  used  (see  Fig.  6).  Followers  are 
made  to  suit  the  shape  of  the  work  with  which  they  are  to  be  em- 
ployed, always  being  made  with  the  largest  possible  bearing  on  the 
work;  thus  a  shell  with  a  flat  bottom  twelve  inches  in  diameter  would 
be  turned  with  the  aid  of  a  follower  having  an  11%-inch  face,  while 
a  shell  with  a  4-inch  face  wculd  take  a  follower  with  a  3% -inch  face. 
All  shells  do  not  have  flat  bottoms,  consequently,  in  spinning  such  as 
do  not,  it  becomes  necessary  to  employ  hollow  followers.  Hollow  fol- 
lowers have  their  bearing  surfaces  turned,  out  to  fit  the  ends  of  ihs 


jS/o.  57-METAL  SPINNING 


PRINCIPLES  OF  METAL  SPINNING  9 

forms  with  which  they  are  to  be  used.  In  practice,  the  blank  is  held 
against  the  end  of  the  spherical  form  with  a  small  flat  follower  until 
enough  of  the  shell  has  been  spun  to  admit  of  the  hollow  follower 
being  used.  All  followers  are  made  with  a  lajge  center  hole  in  one 
end  to  receive  the  revolving  tail-center. 

In  starting  to  spin  a  difficult  shell  it  sometimes  happens  that  the 
necessarily  small  follower  will  not  hold  the  blank.  To  prevent  this 
slipping,  the  face  of  the  follower  is  covered  with  emery  cloth.  Often, 
however,  on  rough  work,  the  spinner  will  not  stop  to  face  the  fol- 
lower, but  will  make  a  large  shallow  dent  at  the  center  of  the  blank; 
the  extra  pressure  required  to  force  the  metal  against  the  form  will 
usually  overcome  the  slipping  tendency. 

Hand  Tools 

Hand  tools,  in  great  variety,  form  the  principal  asset  of  the  spin- 
ner's kit.  Spinning  tools  are  made  of  tool  steel  forged  to  the  re- 
quired shapes,  and  are  hardened  and  polished  on  the  working  end. 
The  round  steel  from  which  they  are  made  varies  from  y2  inch  to 
iy2  inch  in  diameter,  according  to  the  class  of  work  upon  which  they 
are  to  be  used.  The  length  of  a  spinning  tool  is  about  2  feet,  and  it  is 
fitted  into  a  wooden  handle  2  inches  diameter  and  18  inches  long, 
making  the  total  length  of  the  handled  tool  about  3.  feet,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  S.  As  the  spinner  holds  this  handle  under  the  right  armpit,  he 
secures  a  great  leverage  upon  the  work  and  is  better  able  to  supply 
the  physical  power  required  to  bring  the  metal  to  the  desired  shape. 

The  commonest  and  by  far  the  most  useful  of  the  spinning  tools  is 
the  combination  "point  and  ball"  which  together  with  a  number  of 
other  tools,  is  shown  in  Fig.  11.  This  tool  is  used  in  doing  the  bulk 
of  the  spinning  operations— for  starting  the  work  and  bringing  it 
approximately  to  the  shape  of  the  form.  Its  range  of  usefulness  is 
large  on  account  of  the  many  different  shapes  that  may  be  utilized  by 
merely  turning  the  tool  in  a  different  direction.  Next  in  importance 
comes  the  flat  or  smoothing  tool  which,  as  the  name  implies,  is  for 
smoothing  the  shell  and  finishing  any  rough  surfaces  left  by  the  point 
and  ball  tool.  The  fishtail  tool,  so  named  from  its  shape,  is  used  prin- 
cipally in  flaring  the  end  of  a  shell  from  the  inside,  "spinning  on 
air,"  as  it  is  sometimes  termed.  This  tool  is  used  to  good  advantage 
in  any  place  where  it  is  necessary  to  stretch  the  metal  to  any  extent, 
and  its  thin  rounding  edge  proves  useful  in  setting  the  metal  into 
corners  and  narrow  grooves.  Other  tools  are  the  ball  tool  which  is 
adapted  to  finishing  curves;  the  hook  tool,  used  on  inside  work;  and 
the  beading  tool  which  is  needed  in  rolling  over  a  bead  at  the  edge  of 
a  shell  when  extra  strength  or  a  better  finish  is  desired. 

When  much  beading  of  one  kind  is  being  done,  a  large  heavy  pair 
of  round-nose  pliers  (Fig.  10)  with  the  jaws  bent  around  in  a  curve 
and  sprung  apart  enough  to  allow  for  the  thickness  of  the  metal 
proves  to  be  a  handy  tool.  After  the  edge  of  the  shell  has  been  flared 
out  to  start  the  bead,  the  pliers  are  opened  enough  to  admit  the  metal 
and  then  closed  and  the  stock  guided  around  to  form  the  bead  as  far 


10 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


as  possible.  In  this  way  the  larger  part  of  a  bead  is  rapidly  formed, 
one  jaw  of  the  pliers  acting  as  a  spinning  tool  and  the  other  corre- 
sponding to  the  back-stick.  During  this  operation,  the  pliers  are,  of 
course,  supported  by  being  held  against  the  T-rest. 

Closely  allied  with  these  spinning  tools  are  two  other  tools  (also 
shown  in  Fig.  11)  known  as  the  diamond  point  and  the  skimmer.  The 
diamond  point  is  for  trimming  the  edges  of  the  shell  during  the  spin- 
ning operation  and  for  cutting  out  centers  or  other  parts  of  the  work. 
The  skimmer  is  for  cleaning  up  the  surface  of  a  shell,  removhig  a 
small  amount  of  metal  in  doing  so,  the  amount  depending  upon  the 
skill  the  spinner  used  in  the  spinning  proper. 


v^n 


P\ 


n 


COMBINATION  FLAT  OR 

POINT  AND  BALL  SMOOTHING  FISH-TAIL  BALL  TOOLS 


\]/ 


/ 


-J/ 


nuuP"  U1AMUNU  BEADING  SKIMMERS 

POINT 

Fig.  11.    Hand  Tools  of  Various  Forms  used  in  Spinning 

When  the  bottoms  are  to  be  cut  from  a  large  number  of  shells  and 
it  is  necessary  that  they  be  cut  exactly  alike,  a  tool  known  as  a  swivel 
cutter  is  used.  This  tool  (see  Fig.  9)  is  simply  an  iron  bar  with  a 
cutter  on  one  end,  which  swivels  near  the  center  around  a'  pin  in  the 
T-rest;  thus  by  a  slight  movement  of  the  arm  the  cutter  is  brought 
up  to  the  work,  cutting  a  piece  from  the  shell  of  exactly  the  same  size 
each  time. 

The  Spinning  Operation 

In  order  to  make  clear  the  successive  steps  in  spinning,  let  us 
briefly  consider  the  making  of  a  copper  head-lighc  reflector,  and  the 
way  the  work  is  handled  when  a  few  hundred  pieces  are  to  be  made. 

By  trial  spinning,  the  size  of  the  blank  required  for  one  of  the 
reflectors  is  determined,  and  with  the  square  shears  the  copper  sheets 


PRINCIPLES  OF  METAL  SPINNING  11 

are  cut  into  pieces  an  eighth  of  an  inch  larger  each  way.  These  squares 
are  then  taken  to  the  circular  shears  and  cut  to  round  shapes  ready 
for  the  spinning  lathe.  The  spinning  form,  of  kiln-dried  maple,  is 
screwed  to  the  spindle  and  the  belt  thrown  to  that  step  of  the  cone 
pulley  which  will  bring  the  speed  nearest  to  1,200  revolutions.  From 
the  stock-room  a  follower  is  selected  whose  face  will  nearly  cover  the 
bottom  of  the  form.  It  is  now  "up  to"  the  spinner.  Holding  a  blank 
and  also  the  follower  against  the  end  of  the  form,  he  runs  the  tail- 
center  up  to  the  center  in  the  follower  just  hard  enough  to  hold  the 
blank  in  place.  Then,  starting  the  lathe,  he  centers  the  blank  by 
lightly  pressing  against  its  edge  a  hard  wood  stick.  As  soon  as  it  "lines 
up"  he  runs  the  center  up  a  little  harder  and  clamps  it  in  place.  Some 
spinners  will  "hop  in"  a  blank  with  the  lathe  running,  but  this  is 
dangerous  practice  and  sometimes  the  blank  will  go  sailing  across  the 
room.  Cften  this  happens  in  truing  up  the  blank  and  for  this  reason 
it  is  considered  advisable  to  have  a  wire  grating  at  the  further  side 
of  the  lathe  to  prevent  serious  accidents;  for  a  sheet  metal  blank  is  a 
dangerous  missile  traveling  at  the  high  rate  of  speed  which  is  imparted 
to  it  by  the  lathe. 

With  a  piece  of  beeswax  (soap  is  sometimes  used  for  economical 
reasons)  the  spinner  lightly  rubs  the  rapidly  revolving  blank  and  then 
adjusts  the  pin  in  the  T-rest  to  a  point  near  enough  to  the  blank  to 
obtain  a  good  leverage  with  the  spinning  tool.  Holding  the  handle 
of  his  point  and  ball  tool  under  his  right  armpit  and  using  the  tool 
as  a  lever  and  the  pin  on  the  rest  as  a  fulcrum,  he  slowly  forces  the 
metal  disk  back  in  the  direction  of  the  body  of  the  form,  never  allow- 
ing the  tool  to  rest  in  one  spot,  but  constantly  working  it  in  and  out, 
applying  the  pressure  on  the  way  out  to  the  edge  o.f  the  disk  and 
letting  up  as  he  comes  back  for  a  new  stroke.  In  the  meantime  his 
left  hand  is  busy  holding  a  short  piece  of  hard  wood  (called  the  back- 
stick),  firmly  against  the  reverse  side  of  the  metal  at  a  constantly 
changing  point  opposite  the  tool.  The  object  of  the  back-stick  is  to 
keep  the  stock  from  wrinkling  as  it  is  stretched  toward  the  edge  of 
the  disk.  Wrinkles  cause  the  metal  to  crack  at  the  edges  and  for  this 
reason  they  must  be  kept  from  the  stock  as  much  as  possible. 

After  a  few  strokes  of  the  spinning  tool  have  been  taken,  the  shell  ' 
will  appear  about  as  shown  at  B,  Fig.  12,  and  at  this  point  it  is  neces- 
sary to  trim  the  shell  at  the  edges  with  the  diamond-point  tool.  Trim- 
ming is  required  because  spinning  stretches  the  stock  and  the  result- 
ing uneven  edge  will  cause  splits  in  the  metal  if  it  is  not  trimmed 
occasionally.  As  a  carpenter  is  known  by  his  chips,  so  a  spinner  is 
known  by  the  way  his  work  stretches.  While  the  even  pressure  of 
a  good  spinner  will  stretch  the  stock  very  little,  the  uneven  pressure 
of  the  inexperienced  man  will  lead  him  into  all  sorts  of  trouble  on 
account  of  the  way  the  stock  will  "go."  In  either  case  the  metal  always 
stretches  least  in  the  direction  in  which  the  sheet  stock  was  originally 
rolled,  consequently  giving  the  edge  a  slight  oval  shape.  In  trimming 
zinc,  the  spinner  holds  a  "swab"  of  cloth  just  above  the  diamond  point, 


12 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


to  prevent  the  chips  from  flying  into  his  face  and  eyes — or  those  of 
his  neighbors.     With  other  metals  the  swab  is  unnecessary. 

The  reflector  is  now  taking  shape.  With  each  successive  stroke  the 
spinner  sets  a  little  more  of  the  metal  against  the  form.  Not  only  does 
spinning  stretch  the  metal,  but  it  hardens  it  as  well;  therefore,  at  the 
stage  C  it  becomes  necessary  to  anneal  the  partially  completed  reflector, 
which  is  done  by  heating  it  to  a  low  red  in  a  gas  furnace.  In  running 
through  a  lot  of  shells,  the  common  practice  is  to  spin  them  all  as  far 
as  possible  without  annealing,  and  after  annealing  the  whole  lot,  to 
complete  the  spinning. 

After  replacing  the  shell  upon  the  form,  it  is  trimmed  and  worked 
further  along  the  form,  gradually  assuming  the  appearance  shown  at 


4TH  STEP  IX"    5TH  STEP 

D 

Fig.  12.     Successive  Steps  in  Spinning  a  Reflector 

D.  At  this  time,  the  spinner  goes  back  to  the  small  radius  at  the  front 
end  of  the  shell  and  with  a  ball  tool  he  closes  the  annealed  metal  hard 
down  against  the  form,  for  the  spinning  has  tended  to  pull  the  stock 
slightly  from  the  form  at  this  point.  The  body  of  the  reflector  is  now 
practically  completed  and  the  spinner  directs  his  attention  to  rolling 
the  bead  at  the  outside  edge.  Slowly  he  begins  to  roll  the  edge  of  the 
shell  back,  using  his  hook  tool  to  complete  the  bead  as  far  as  possible 
and  exercising  care  to  keep  the  back-stick  firmly  against  the  metal 
so  as  to  keep  the  wrinkles  out.  Now,  with  the  diamond  point,  he 
gives  the  edges  a  final  trim,  and  with  the  beading  tool  closes  down 
the  bead  snugly  against  the  rest  of  the  shell,  as  shown  at  E.  Lastly, 
the  swivel  cutter  is  placed  in  the  proper  hole  of  the  T-rest  and  a  turn 
of  the  tool  cuts  out  the  center  to  the  exact  size,  and  the  reflector  is 
completed.  If  any  burrs  or  rough  places  remain  they  are  easily  re- 
moved at  this  time  with  the  skimmer  or  diamond  point,  and  a  little 
emery  cloth  gives  the  shell  a  finished  appearance. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  METAL  SPINNING  13 

Referring  to  the  illustration  Fig.  7,  A,  B  and  C  represent  the  three 
most  important  stages  of  spinning  a  shell  like  that  shown  at  C.  An- 
nealing is  necessary  between  steps  A  and  B.  D  is  a  shell  spun  upon 
a  form  of  the  plug  variety,  and  E  and  F  are  two  views  of  a  shell  spun 
after  the  method  shown  in  Fig.  4,  F  being  the  completed  shell.  G 
illustrates  a  very  difficult  shell  to  spin,  on  account  of  the  small  follower 
that  must  be  used;  the  length  of  the  small  diameter  also  adds  to  the 
difficulty.  H  shows  a  shell  that  must  be  spun  upon  a  sectional  chuck, 
while  7  is  a  plain  easy  job  of  ornamental  spinning.  The  ball  shown 
at  J  was  spun  from  one  piece  of  aluminum  and  it  is  more  of  a  curiosity 
than  a  specimen  of  practical  spinning.  It  was  first  spun  over  a  form 
that  would  leave  one-half  of  the  ball  complete  and  the  stock  for  the 
other  half  straight  out  like  a  short  tube.  Next  a  wooden  split  chuck 
was  made,  hollowed  out  to  receive  the  finished  end  of  the  ball  and  the 
open  end  was  gradually  spun  down  and  in  until  the  ball  was  complete 
with  but  a  1/16-inch  hole  at  the  end.  This  hole  was  plugged  and  the 
hollow  ball  was  done. 


Pig.  13.     An  Interesting-  Example  of  Metal  Spinning 

As  another  example  of  metal  spinning,  assume  the  shape  shown  in 
Fig.  13.  The  shell  is  to  be  20  inches  in  diameter,  6  inches  deep,  and 
0.060  inch  thick.  The  metal  to  be  used  is  zinc.  This  is  an  interesting 
metal  spinning  job,  and  not  a  particularly  difficult  one.  The  shell  can 
be  best  spun  with  the  aid  of  two  spinning  forms,  such  as  are  illustrated 
in  Figs.  14  and  15.  These  forms  should  be  made  of  kiln-dried  maple  if 
there  are  comparatively  few  shells  to  be  spun.  If  there  are  many, 
the  forms  should  be  made  of  cast  iron.  Fig.  14  shows  the  first  form  to 
be  used,  which  conforms  to  the  outside  of  the  shell  as  far  as  the  centers 
of  the  spherical  ring.  Beyond  these  points,  the  form  is  straight.  The 
blank  to  be  spun  is  placed  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines,  and  follower 
No.  1  is  used  to  hold  the  work  against  the  form.  The  chief  trouble 
will  be  met  in  properly  starting  the  shell,  because  of  the  small  follower 
that  must  be  employed.  However,  follower  No.  2  may  be  substituted 
after  working  the  metal  back  against  the  form  a  few  inches,  and  as 
this  gives  a  better  grip  on  the  shell,  there  will  be  no  further  danger 
of  slipping.  After  spinning  the  zinc  shell  to  the  shape  of  the  first 
form  (Fig.  14)  it  will  probably  have  to  be  annealed,  but  this  can  only  be 
determined  by  trial.  In  annealing  zinc,  the  flame  should  not  be  allowed 
to  touch  the  metal.  The  half  completed  shell  is  then  put  on  form  No. 
2  shown  in  Fig.  15.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  spin  the  metal  round  to 
complete  the  arc.  The  dotted  line  shows  the  position  of  the  shell  before 
starting  the  last  part  of  the  spinning.    Of  course,  it  will  be  understood 


14 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


that  the  shell  must  be  trimmed  several  times  during  the  spinning,  and 
if  the  trimming  is  frequently  done,  a  well-shaped  shell  should  result. 
For  spinning  on  form  No.  2,  follower  No.  3  must  be  used.  Either 
beeswax  or  soap  should  be  frequently  rubbed  over  the  work  while 
spinning.  If  it  is  necessary  to  cut  out  the  center,  it  can  be  done  before 
removing  the  shell  from  the  last  form  by  simply  removing  the  follower 
and  using  a  diamond  point  tool,  or  in  large  product  work  the  swivel 
cutter  will  work  well.  The  shell  will  cling  to  the  form  without  the 
follower.    The  spinning  speed  should  be  from  800  to  1,000  R.  P.  M. 


Fig.  14 


Fig.  15 


While  the  operation  of  spinning  is  a  comparatively  simple  one  to 
describe,  it  is  not  easily  learned,  and  to-day  good  all-around  spinners 
are  hard  to  find.  The  limits  of  accuracy  are  not  as  closely  defined  as 
in  straight  machine  work,  but  there  are  times  when  good  fits  are 
absolutely  necessary,  as  in  cases  where  two  shells  must  slip  snugly 
together.  In  this  chapter  we  have  taken  up  only  the  plain  every-day 
kind  of  spinning,  and  were  we  to  follow  its  work  in  the  gold  and 
silversmith's  trade,  we  would  see  it  evolve  into  a  fine  art.  In  order 
to  insure  really  good  work  coming  from  the  spinning  lathe,  there  is 
a  wide  range  of  knowledge  that  the  spinner  must  have.  That  knowl- 
edge may  be  brought  together  and  summed  up  by  a  single  word — 
judgment. 


CHAPTER    II 

TOOLS  AND  METHODS    USED  IN 
METAL  SPINNING* 

The  principal  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  describe  in  detail  the  vari- 
ous operations  of  spinning  metal  so  that  a  tool-maker  or  machinist 
who  has  not  access  to  a  metal  spinner,  will  be  able  to  make  his  own 
tools,  rig  up  an  engine  or  speed  lathe,  and  make  the  simple  forms 
or  models  that  are  required  in  experimental  work.  To  do  this  intelli- 
gently, it  is  necessary  to  follow  in  detail  every  step  in  metal  spinning 
from  the  circular  blank  to  annealing,  pickling,  dipping,  burnishing, 
etc.,  and  also  to  know  how  to  make  the  simpler  forms  of  spinning 
tools,  what  lubricants  to  use  on  the  different  kinds  of  metals,  what 
material  to  make  the  spinning  chuck  of,  and  how  far  the  metal  can  be 
worked  before  annealing. 

Spinning  metal  into  complicated  and  elaborate  shapes,  is  an  art 
fully  as  difficult  as  any  craft,  and  the  man  is  truly  an  artist  that  can 
make  artistic  and  graceful  outlines  in  metal,  especially  when  only  a 
few  pieces  are  required  and  the  cost  will  not  allow  of  making  special 
chucks  to  do  the  work  on  and  with  no  outline  chucks  to  govern  his 
design,  the  forms  being  made  by  skill  and  manipulation  of  tools  alone. 
Such  skill  is  far  superior  to  that  of  the  Russian  metal  worker,  who, 
•instead  of  making  a  vase  or  ornament  of  one  piece,  cuts  up  several 
sections  and  soft  solders  them  together,  after  covering  them  with 
crude  "gingerbread"  work  to  disguise  his  poor  metal  work. 

The  amateur  can  imitate  the  Russian  work,  but  never  the  work  of 
the  skilled  spinner.  There  are  several  grades  of  spinners,  most  of 
them  never  attaining  the  skill  of  the  model-maker  or  the  facility  for 
handling  the  different  metals.  A  man  that  has  had  several  years  of 
experience  spinning  brass  or  copper  would  not  be  able  to  spin  britan- 
nia  or  white  metal  without  stretching  it  to  a  very  uneven  thickness. 
As  brass  or  copper  is  harder  than  the  other  metals  mentioned,  they  re- 
sist the  tool  more  and  require  more  pressure  in  forming,  and  if  the 
operator  used  the  same  pressure  on  the  softer  metals,  he  would  stretch 
or  distort  them,  so  that  they  would  be  perhaps  one-quarter  of  the 
original  thickness  at  angles  and  corners  where  the  strain  in  spinning 
would  be  greatest,  which  would  ruin  the  articles.  The  best  test  for 
skill  in  ordinary  spinning,  is  to  take  a  long  difficult  shape,  after  being 
finished,  and  saw  it  in  two  lengthwise,  and  if  the  variation  in  thick- 
ness is  less  than  25  per  cent  of  the  original  gage,  it  is  good  practice. 
Some  spinners  can  keep  within  10  per  cent  of  the  gage  on  ordinary 
work,  but  they  are  scarce. 

The  spinning  trade  in  this  country  is  mostly  followed  by  foreigners. 
Germans  and  Swedes  being  the  best.     The  American  that  has  intelli- 
*  Machinery,  March  and  April,   1910. 


16  No.  57— WET  A  L  SPINNING 

gence  and  skill  enough  to  be  a  first-class  spinner,  will  generally  look 
around  for  something  easier  about  the  time  that  he  has  the  trade 
acquired.  It  is  an  occupation  that  cannot  be  followed  up  in  old  age, 
as  it  is  too  strenuous,  the  operator  being  on  his  feet  constantly,  and 
having  to  use  his  head  as  well  as  his  muscles. 

General  Remarks  on  Metal  Spinning  Chucks 

For  common  plain  shapes,  a  patternmaker's  faceplate,  with  a  tap- 
ered center  screw,  is  sufficient  for  holding  the  wood  chuck.  The  hole 
in  the  wood  should  be  the  same  taper  as  the  screw,  thus  giving  an 
even  grip  on  the  thread.  If  a  straight  hole  only  is  used,  and  it  is  not 
reamed  out  before  screwing  to  the  plate,  it  will  only  have  a  bearing 
on  one  or  two  threads,  and  if  the  chuck  is  taken  off  and  replaced  on  the 
faceplate,  it  will  not  run  true.  Care  should  also  be  taken  to  face  off 
the  end  of  the  chuek  flat,  or  to  slightly  recess  it,  so  that  it  will  screw 
up  evenly  against  the  faceplate,  as  a  high  center  will  cause  it  to  rock 
and  run  out  of  true. 

In  large  chucks  (over  five  inches)  it  is  best  to  have  three  or  four 
wood  screws,  besides  the  center  screw.  The  holes  for  these  can  be 
spaced  off  accurately  on  a  circle  in  the  iron  faceplate,  and  drilled  and 
countersunk.  It  is  best  to  have  twice  as  many  holes  as  screws;  that 
is,  if  four  screws  are  used  there  should  be  eight  holes,  so  that  if  the 
chuck  has  to  be  replaced  at  any  time  and  the  wood  has  shrunk,  it 
can  be  turned  one-eighth  of  a  revolution  further  than  the  original 
chucking. 

Where  a  chuck  has  to  be  used  several  times,  it  is  better  practice 
to  cut  a  thread  in  the  wood  and  screw  the  chuck  directly  to  the 
spindle  of  a  lathe,  not  using  the  faceplate.  This  thread  can  be  chased 
with  a  regular  chasing  tool,  where  the  operator  has  the  skill,  or 
if  not,  the  wood  can  be  bored  out  and  a  special  wood  tap  used.  Such 
a  tap  has  no  flutes  and  it  is  bored  hollow,  there  being  a  wall  about< 
3/16  inch  thick.  One  tooth  does  all  the  cutting,  that  is  the  one  at  the 
end  of  the  thread.  The  chips  go  into  the  hollow  part  of  the  tap.  The 
end  of  the  tap  for  about  }4  inch  should  have  the  same  diameter  as  the 
hole  before  threading  to  act  as  guide  for  the  cutting  tooth. 

It  is  essential  that  a  chuck  should  run  very  true  and  be  balanced 
perfectly,  as  the  high  speed  at  which  it  runs  will  cause  it  to  vibrate 
and  run  out  of  true,  causing  the  finished  metal  to  show  chatter  marks. 
The  best  wood  for  chucks  is  hard  maple,  and  it  should  be  selected 
for  its  even  grain  and  absence  of  checks  and  cracks.  It  is  best  to 
paint  the  ends  with  paraffine  or  red  lead,  or  to  immerse  the  chucks 
in  some  vegetable  oil  after  turning.  Cottonseed  oil  is  very  good  for 
this  purpose,  but  care  should  be  taken  not  to  soak  the  chucks  too 
long. 

For  a  man  not  skilled  in  spinning,  it  is  better  to  use  metal  chucks 
than  wood,  for  if  there  are  many  shells  of  a  kind,  the  operator  is 
liable  to  bear  too  hard  on  the  tool,  thus  compressing  the  chuck  and 
making  the  last  shells  smaller  than  the  first.  Corners  and  angles  not 
well   supported  might  also   be   knocked   off.     The   writer   prefers   cold 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS  17 

rolled  steel  for  chucks  up  to  6  inches  in  diameter  and  cast  iron  for  the 
larger  ones,  but  where  good  steel  castings  can  be  obtained,  a  good 
chuck  can  be  made  by  turning  roughly  to  shape  a  wood  pattern,  allow- 
ing enough  for  shrinkage  and  finishing,  and  hollowing  out  the  back  to 
lighten  it.  When  the  chuck  is  finished  all  over  in  the  lathe,  it  should 
balance  much  better  than  a  cast  iron  one,  as  there  are  not  the  chances 
of  having  blow  holes  in  the  iron,  thus  throwing  the  chuck  out  of  bal- 
ance. 

Annealing 

The  distance  that  metal  can  be  drawn  without  annealing,  can  only 
be  learned  by  experience.  A  flat  blank  rotated  in  the  lathe,  being  soft, 
will  offer  little  resistance  and  it  can  be  gradually  drawn  down  by  a 
tool  held  under  the  chuck  and  against  the  blank.  This  tool  is  pushed 
from  the  center  outward  and  forward  at  the  same  time,  and  every 
time  it  passes  over  the  blank  or  disk  the  metal  becomes  harder  by 
friction,  and  the  change  of  formation  and  the  resistance  at  the  point 
of  the  tool  greater.  This  can  be  felt  as  the  tool  is  under  the  oper- 
ator's arm.  When  the  spring  of  the  metal  is  such  that  the  tool  does 
not  gain  any,  but  only  hardens  the  metal,  the  shell  should  be  taken 
off  and  annealed.  If  the  metal  has  been  under  a  severe  strain,  it 
should  be  hammered  on  the  horn  of  an  anvil  or  any  metal  piece  that 
will  support  the  inside.  The  hammer  should  be  a  wood  or  rawhide 
mallet,  but  never  metal,  the  object  being  to  put  dents  or  flutes  in  the 
metal  to  relieve  the  strain  when  heating  for  annealing;  if  this  is  not 
done  the  shell  will  crack. 

After  annealing  the  shell  it  should  be  pickled  to  clean  the  oxide  or 
scale  from  the  surface;  otherwise  the  metal  will  be  pitted.  When 
the  scale  is  crowded  into  the  metal  and  when  it  will  not  finish  smooth 
after  spinning  to  shape,  the  metal  can  be  finished  by  skimming  or 
shaving  the  outer  surface  which  cuts  out  all  tool  marks;  it  can  then 
be  finished  with  medium  emery  cloth  or  the  shell  can  be  bright  dipped, 
and  be  run  over  with  a  burnishing  tool  before  buffing.  Burnishing 
can  be  done  on  the  spinning  chuck,  but  the  speed  should  be  higher 
than  for  spinning;  this  requires  some  skill  for  a  good  job,  and  it  can 
be  done  only  on  metal  chucks. 

Annealing  is  best  accomplished  in  a  wood  or  gas  oven,  where  a 
forge  fire  is  used.  The  metal  should  never  touch  the  coke  or  other 
fuel,  but  it  should  be  held  in  the  flame  above  the  fire.  Where  only 
part  annealing  is  required,  the  shell  can  be  immersed  in  water,  the 
part  to  be  annealed  being  exposed  above  the  water,  and  a  blowpipe 
used  on  it.  The  remainder  of  the  shell  will  then  be  hard.  This  way 
of  annealing  is  sometimes  necessary  on  a  special  shapes. 

Brass  should  be  heated  to  a  cherry  red,  and  held  at  that  point  for 
a  few  minutes,  in  a  muffle  furnace.  If  an  open  furnace  is  used,  just 
bring  the  metal  to  a  cherry  red  and  then  dip  it  in  water;  this  method 
is  better  than  when  waiting  for  it  to  cool,  the  action  being  just  the  op- 
posite to  that  on  steel.  Brass  such  as  the  common  yellow  brass  is  not 
suitable  for  spinning,  there  being  but  55  per  cent  copper  and  45  per 
cent   zinc.     There  are  two  grades  of  brass  suitable  for  spinning.  These 


18 


jVo.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


are  known  as  "spinning  and  drawing,"  having  60  per  cent  copper  and 
40  per  cent  zinc,  and  "extra  spinning  and  drawing"  having  67  per 
cent  copper  and  33  per  cent  zinc.  There  is  also  a  better  grade  known 
as  "low  brass"  having  from  75  to  80  per  cent  copper;  it  has  the  color 
of  bronze  and  is  only  used  on  very  deep  and  difficult  spinning. 

The  scale,  after  annealing,  should  be  pickled  off  in  an  acid  bath 
(described  further  on  in  this  chapter),  and  the  part  thoroughly  washed 
in  running  water.  Brass,  German  silver  and  the  harder  metals  should 
be  hammered  before  annealing;  it  is  not  necessary  to  hammer  zinc, 
copper,  aluminum,  etc. 

A  pyrometer  in  an  annealing  furnace  would  be  an  advantage  where 
quantities  of  the  softer  metals  such  as  zinc,  aluminum,  etc.,  are  being 
heated.  Copper  is  annealed  the  same  as  brass  and  is  also  pickled. 
Zinc  is  coated  with  oil  before  being  put  in  the  oven,  and  when  the  oil 


Fig.  16.    Zinc  Lamp  Shade  Spun  in  One  Operation  without  Annealing- 

turns  brown,  which  occurs  when  the  temperature  is  about  350  degrees, 
the  metal  is  ready  to  take  out;  it  should  then  be  plunged  in  water  to 
shed  the  scale,  but  not  pickled.  The  melting  point  of  zinc  is  780  de- 
grees F.  Aluminum  can  be  annealed  the  same  as  zinc,  as  the  melting 
point  is  1,140  degrees  F. 

Steel  should  be  annealed  by  heating  to  a  cherry  red  and  then  allow- 
ing it  to  cool  slowly;  it  should  be  scaled  in  a  special  pickle,  thoroughly 
washed,  and  then  put  back  in  the  fire  long  enough  to  evaporate  every 
particle  of  acid  that  may  have  remained  from  the  pickling  operation. 
Any  acid  remaining  on  the  steel  will  neutralize  any  lubricant  that  is 
applied  when  spinning.  Annealing  should  be  avoided  wherever  possi- 
ble. Open  hearth  steel  only  should  be  used.  It  should  be  free  from 
scale  and  preferably  cold  rolled.  Bessemer  steel  is  not  suitable,  ex- 
cept for  very  shallow  spinnings.  Tin  plate  made  from  open  hearth 
steel  can  be  spun  about  one-half  as  deep  as  its  diameter  where  the 
shape  is  not  too  irregular.  German  silver  is  difficult  to  spin,  espe- 
cially when  it  contains  over  15  per  cent  nickel;  it  has  to  be  hammered 
before  annealing,  the  same  as  brass,  to  avoid  cracks. 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS 


Lubricants 


19 


Common  yellow  soap  cut  up  in  strips  about  %  inch  or  %  inch  square 
is  a  good  lubricant  for  spinning  most  metals.  It  should  be  applied 
evenly  to  the  disk  or  blank  while  it  is  revolving,  by  holding  the  soap 
in  the  hand  and  drawing  it  across  the  surface.  Beeswax  is  the  best 
fcr  spinning  steel,  but  it  is  expensive.  Lard  oil  mixed  with  white 
lead  is  a  fair  substitute.  Either  mutton  or  beef  tallow  applied  with  a 
cloth  swab  is  very  good  on  most  all  metals;  also  vaseline  and  graphite 
mixed  to  a  paste  and  applied  the  same  as  tallow. 

Examples  of  Spinning-  Various  Metals 

The  different  metals  are  malleable,  ductile  and  tenacious  in  the 
following  order;  white  metal  or  britannia,  aluminum,  zinc,  copper, 
low  brass,  high  brass,  German  silver,  steel,  tin  plate.  White  metal 
does  not  harden  in  spinning,  but  it  requires  special  skill  in  handling, 


Figr.  17.    Gas  Burner  for  Heating  Spinning  Chuck 

or  the  metal  will  be  of  very  uneven  gage.  The  best  metal  for  an 
amateur  to  start  on  is  copper,  as  it  is  both  tenacious  and  ductile,  and 
will  stand  much  abuse  in  the  fire  and  on  the  lathe.  One  of  the  pecu- 
liar properties  of  zinc  is  that  it  has  a  grain  or  texture,  and  when 
spinning,  the  two  sides  that  go  through  the  rolls  lengthwise  will 
be  longer  than  the  sides  that  have  the  cross  grain,  requiring  the  shell 
to  be  trimmed  off  quite  a  distance  to  even  the  edge. 

To  show  the  possibilities  of  working  the  different  metals,  and  their 
relative  spinning  values,  a  number  of  articles  made  from  different 
materials  are  illustrated  herewith. 

A  zinc  lamp  shade  is  shown  in  Fig.  16  that  is  141/4  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  i%  inches  deep.  This  shade  was  spun  in  one  operation,  with- 
out annealing,  from  a  flat  circular  blank.  All  zinc  should  be  warmed 
before  spinning,  either  over  a  gas  burner  at  the  lathe  or  in  hot  soap 
water,  and  the  chuck  also  should  be  heated,  as  otherwise  the  blank 
will  soon  chill,  if  spun  on  a  cold  metal  chuck,  as  the  chuck  absorbs 
the   heat  long  before  the  operation   is   finished.     Of  course  this   does 


20 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


not  apply  to  wooden  chucks.  The  chuck  may  be  heated  by  using  the 
burner  shown  in  Fig.  17,  which  is  located  around  the  spindle  of  the 
lathe.  The  size  of  the  burner  should,  of  course,  be  in  proportion  to 
that  of  the  chuck  used.  The  burner  illustrated  is  8  inches  in  diam- 
eter. It  has  several  small  holes  drilled  for  the  gas  on  the  side  facing 
the  chuck.  The  heat  of  the  chuck  is  regulated  by  varying  the  supply 
of  gas  to  the  burner.     The  blank  is  heated  before   it  is  put  on  the 


Figs.  18  and  19.    Examples  of  Aluminum  and  Copper  Spinning1 


chuck  and  the  friction  of  the  spinning  tool  helps  to  keep  it  warm  until 
it  comes  in  contact  with  the  chuck.  The  metal  retains  its  heat  until 
the  job  is  finished,  and  this  sometimes  saves  an  annealing  operation. 
In  Pig  18  is  shown  an  example  of  aluminum  spinning.  The  article 
illustrated  is  a  cuspidor  having  a  top  7%  inches  in  diameter,  a  neck 
with  a  4-inch  flare,  a  diameter  at  the  top  of  9%  inches,  and  a  height 


Fig.  20.    German  Silver 
Reflector 


Fig.  21.    Open  Hearth  Cold-rolled 

Steel  Shell 


of  6*4  inches.  This  shell  was  spun  without  annealing,  which  shows 
the  extreme  ductility  of  aluminum.  The  copper  shell  shown  in  Fig. 
19,  has  a  maximum  diameter  of  7  inches,  and  a  depth  of  8  inches; 
it  was  spun  with  four  annealings.  A  German  silver  reflector,  which 
is  10  inches  in  diameter  at  the  largest  end  and  5  inches  deep,  is  shown 
in  Fig.  20.  The  spinning  of  such  a  reflector,  when  made  from  this 
material,  is  quite  difficult.     An  open  hearth  cold-rolled  steel  shell  with 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS  21 

a  maximum  diameter  of  3  inches  and  a  depth  of  4  inches  is  shown  in 
Fig.  21.  This  shell  was  spun  without  annealing,  which  shows  that  the 
grade  of  steel  used  is  well  adapted  for  this  work. 

In  Fig.  22  two  finished  brass  shells  are  shown  to  the  right,  and  also 
the  number  of  operations  required  to  change  the  form  of  the  metal. 
The  upper  shell  is  6  inches  long  and  3%   inches  in  diameter  at  the 


Fig.  22.    Various  Steps  in  Spinning  the  Two  Brass  Shells  at  the  Right 


large  end,  while  the  lower  one  is  7^4  inches  long  by  3%  inches  in 
diameter.  It  was  necessary  to  anneal  these  shells  between  each 
operation,  the  upper  shell  being  annealed  four  times  and  the  lower 
one  three  times.  These  pieces  were  made  in  quantities  sufficient  to  war- 
rant the  making  of  chucks  for  each  operation,  which  enabled  them  to 
be  spun  with  less  skill  than  would  be  required   if  a  finishing  chuck 


Fig.  23.    Another  Brass  Spinning  Operation  ;  the  Chuck  used  is  shown  at  A 


only  were  made.  When  a  single  finishing  chuck  is  used,  the  various 
operations  in  spinning  a  shell  of  this  kind  would  be  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  spinner,  who  would  decide  the  limit  of  the  stretch  of 
metal  between  the  operations  before  annealing. 

A  brass  shell  that  is  made  in  five  operations  and  with  four  anneal- 
ings is  shown  in  Fig.  23.  The  finishing  chuck  used  is  a  split  or  key 
chuck  on  which  it  is  necessary  to  cut  out  the  end  of  the  shell  in  order 


22 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


to  withdraw  the  key  after  the  shell  is  spun.  This  shell,  which  is 
shown  finished  to  the  right,  is  5^  inches  long.  It  is  spun  smooth  on 
a  machine  steel  chuck,  and  is  not  skimmed,  but  gone  over  with  a 
planishing  tool  at  the  last  operation.  The  two  pieces  shown  in  Fig. 
22  were  also  finished  in  this  way. 


Fig.  24.    An  Example  of  "  Air  Spinning "  and  the  Chucks  used 

Fig.  24  shows  a  brass  shell,  which  is  a  good  example  of  "air  spin- 
ning," so  called  because  the  finishing  or  second  operation  on  part  of 
the  shape  is  done  in  the  air,  thus  avoiding  the  use  of  a  sectional  or 
split  chuck.  The  shell  shown  is  about  5^  inches  in  diameter.  The 
first  or  breaking-down  chuck  is  shown  at  A.     The  neck  or  small  part 


Fig.  25.    Miscellaneous  Collection  of  Spinning  Chucks 

of  the  piece,  and  also  a  portion  of  the  spherical  surface,  is  formed  by 
the  spinning  tool  without  any  support  from  the  chuck.  After  the  shell 
is  spun  or  broken  down  on  chuck  A,  it  is  annealed  and  pickled.  It  is 
then  put  back  on  chuck  A  and  planished  or  hardened  on  the  part  that 
is  to  retain  its  present  shape.  The  work  is  then  placed  on  the  chuck 
B  and  the  soft  part  is  manipulated  by  the  tool  until  it  conforms  to 


TOOLS  AND  METHOLS 


23 


the  shape  shown  to  the  right.  While  this  soft  part  of  the  metal  is 
being  formed,  the  part  which  was  previously  hardened  retains  its 
shape. 

Various  Types  of  Metal-spinning  Chucks  and 
their  Construction 

A  miscellaneous  collection  of  spinning  chucks  is  shown  in  Fig.  25. 
As  will  be  seen,  the  larger  ones  are  machined  out  in  the  back  to 
lighten  them,  and  also  to^give  them  an  even  balance.  The  larger  of 
those  illustrated  measure  about  9%  inches  in  diameter,  and  they  are 
made  of  cast  iron,  while  the  smaller  chucks  shown  in  this  view  are 
of  machine  steel.  The  chuck  marked  A  is  a  key  chuck.  Another 
collection  of  spinning  chucks  of  various  shapes  is  shown  in  Fig.  26. 


Fig.  26.    Another  Group  of  Spinning  Chucks.    Those  in  the  Upper  Row 
are  of  the  Split  or  Key  Type 

Those  in  the  upper  row  are  all  key  or  split  chucks,  and  the  keys 
are  shown  withdrawn  from  the  sockets.  All  these  chucks,  up  to  6 
inches  in  diameter,  are  made  of  machine  steel;  those  seen  in  the 
lower  row  are  shapes  which  are  comparatively  easy  to  spin. 

A  collection  of  hard  maple  chucks  is  shown  in  Fig.  27,  some  of 
which  represent  shapes  that  are  difficult  to  spin.  The  chuck  A  is  15 
inches  long,  and  the  maximum  diameter  of  B  is  12^  inches.  These 
figures  will  serve  to  give  an  idea  of  the  proportions  of  the  other 
chucks.  All  of  the  chucks  shown  have  threads  cut  in  them  and  they 
are  screwed  directly  to  the  spindle  of  the  lathe,  the  faceplate  being 
dispensed  with.  Some  of  the  larger  wooden  chucks  used  measure 
approximately  5  feet  in  diameter.  A  chuck  of  this  size  is  built  up  of 
sections  which  are  glued  together. 

A  number  of  bronze  sectional  split  chucks  are  shown  in  Fig.  28. 
When  spinning  over  a  sectional  chuck,   it  is  first  necessary  to  break 


24 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


down  the  shell  as  far  as  is  practicable  on  a  solid  chuck.  Care  should 
be  taken,  however,  to  leave  sufficient  clearance  so  that  the  work  may 
be  withdrawn.  The  shell  is  then  annealed,  after  which  it  is  put  on 
the  sectional  chuck  and  the  under  cut  or  small  end  is  spun  down  to 
the  chuck  surface.  When  the  entire  surface  of  the  shell  is  spun  down 
to  a  bearing,  the  shell  is  planished  or  skimmed  to  a  smooth  surface; 


Fig.  27.    Various  Forms  of  Spinning  Chucks  made  from  Hard  Maple 


Fig.  28.    A  Group  of  Bronze  Sectional  Chucks 

the  open  edge   is  also  trimmed  even  and  the  shell  is  polished   with 
emery  cloth. 

A  large  bronze  chuck  of  seven  sections,  one  of  which  is  a  key  sec- 
tion, is  shown  at  A.  The  largest  diameter  of  this  chuck  is  10  inches. 
It  has  a  cast  iron  center  hub  and  a  steel  cap  at  the  top  for  holding 
the  sections  in  place.     This  cap,  when  in  place  in  the  retaining  groove 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS 


25 


shown,  is  flush  with  the  top  of  the  chuck.  Another  large  chuck  hav- 
ing five  sections  and  one  key  section  is  shown  at  B.  The  retaining 
cap  in  this  case  is  of  a  different  form.  The  lower  parts  of  the  sections 
of  all  these  chucks  fit  in  a  groove  at  the  bottom  of  the  hub.  A  chuck 
of  five  sections  that  is  without  a  binding  cap,  is  shown  at  C.  This 
is  not  a  good  design  as  the  hub  or  center  is  too  straight,  and  all  of 
the  grip  or  drive  is  from  the  bottom  groove,  which  is  not  sufficient. 
The  shape  shown  at  D  is  more  difficult  to  spin  than  any  of  the  others, 
as  it  is  smaller  at  the  opening  in  proportion  to  its  size.  This  chuck 
also  requires  more  sections  in  order  that  it  may  be  withdrawn  from 
the  shell  after  the  latter  is  spun.  The  chuck  E  is  intended  for  a  small 
shell  that  is  also  difficult  to  spin.  The  drive  pins  which  prevent  the 
segments  of  the  chuck  E  from  turning  may  be  seen  projecting  from 
its  base.     The  centering  pins  at  the  outer  end  of  chucks  D  and  E  and 


Pig.  29.    Sectional  Chucks  made  from  Wood 


the  binding  caps  may  also  be  seen.  The  chuck  A,  because  of  its  size, 
is  hollowed  out  to  reduce  the  weight.  All  of  these  chucks  were  made 
for  hard  service,  and  they  have  been  used  in  spinning  thousands  of 
shells. 

Another  group  of  sectional  chucks  is  shown  in  Fig.  29.  They  are 
mostly  made  from  hard  maple.  The  sections  of  chuck  A  are  planed 
and  fitted  together  and  thin  pieces  of  paper  are  glued  to  these  sec- 
tions before  they  are  glued  collectively  for  turning.  By  using  the 
paper  between  the  joints,  the  sections  may  be  easily  separated  after 
they  are  turned  to  the  proper  size  and  form.  If  the  different  sections 
were  glued  without  paper  between  them,  the  joint  formed  would  be 
so  good  that  the  separation  of  the  sections  could  not  be  controlled, 
and  parts  from  opposite  sections  would  be  torn  away.  The  use  of  the 
paper,  however,  between  the  glued  joints,  controls  the  separation  of 
the  sections.  The  chuck  shown  at  D  is  also  made  with  the  paper  be- 
tween the  sections.  Chucks  B  and  E  are  turned  from  the  solid,  care 
being  taken  to  have  the  grain  of  the  wood  lengthwise.  After  they  are 
turned  to  the  required  form,  they  are  split  into  sections  with  a  sharp 


26 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


chisel.  Before  doing  this,  the  key-section  should  first  be  laid  out. 
There  should  be  as  few  sections  as  possible,  the  number  being  just 
sufficient  to  enable  the  withdrawing  of  the  chuck  from  the  shell  after 
the  latter  is  spun  to  shape.  This  method  of  making  a  chuck,  while 
quicker  than  the  other,  is  not  good  practice,  except  for  small  work. 

A  lignum  vita?  chuck  is  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  30;  this  was  made  with 
paper  between  the  sections.  The  key-section  is  shown  on  top.  This 
wood,  while  being  more  durable  than  hard  maple,  costs  sixteen  cents 
a  pound  in  the  rough  and,  counting  the  waste  material,  is  not  any 
cheaper  than  bronze,  and  is  less  durable.  The  hard  maple  chucks  B 
and  C  were  turned  from  the  solid,  after  which  the  sections  were  split. 
The  segments  shown  in  the  center  of  the  illustration  did  not  split 
evenly,  owing  to  a  winding  or  twisting  grain. 


Figr.  30.     Other  Examples  of  Wooden  Sectional  Chucks 

The  construction  of  a  sectional  spinning  chuck  is  shown  in  Fig.  31. 
This  illustration  also  shows  the  proper  proportion  for  the  central  hub 
and  its  taper.  This  hub  should  never  be  straight,  but  should  have 
from  5  to  7%  degrees  taper  on  the  central  part.  There  should  also 
be  a  taper  of  1%  degree  on  the  other  binding  surfaces  as  indicated. 
These  parts  are  made  tapering  so  that  the  shell  can  be  released  from 
the  lathe  after  spinning,  without  hammering  or  driving;  when  straight 
surfaces  are  used  the  work  has  to  be  pried  off,  and  it  is  also  harder 
to  set  up  the  sections  for  the  next  shell.  Another  disadvantage  is  that 
with  straight  fittings  the  wear  cannot  be  taken  up.  An  end  cap  or 
binder  should  be  used  wherever  possible  as  it  steadies  the  chuck.  A 
drive  pin  should  also  be  used  and  the  hole  for  it  drilled  in  the  largest 
section;  this  is  important,  as  it  gives  the  sections  a  more  positive 
drive.  If  they  slip  they  will  soon  wear  themselves  loose  and  leave 
openings  at  the  joints. 

The  plan  view  shows  the  method  of  laying  out  the  various  sections. 
The  key  should  be  laid  out  first.     One  key  is  enough  for  the  particular 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS 


27 


form,  of  chuck  illustrated,  but  it  is  often  necessary  to  use  two  key 
sections  when  the  shell  opening  is  small. 

When  a  sectional  chuck  is  to  be  made,  it  is  important  to  decide  first 
on  the  size  of  the  central  hub  A,  the  number  of  sections  C,  and  also  the 
design  of  the  cap  or  binder  B.  This  cap  must  not  exceed  in  size  the 
opening  in  the  finished  shell,  as  it  would  be  impossible  to  remove  it 

after  the  chuck  sections 
were  taken  out.  After 
the  size  of  the  hub  A  has 
been  decided  upon,  a 
wooden  form  should  be 
turned  that  is  a  duplicate 
of  A,  except  that  a  spheri- 
cal surface  E  should  be 
added.  This  spherical  part 
should  be  slightly  smaller 
than  the  inner  diameter 
of  the  bronze  sections  in 
order  to  allow  for  machin- 
ing them.  In  turning  this 
wooden  pattern  on  which 
the  plaster  patterns  for  the 
sections  are  to  be  formed, 
the  shoulder  D  should  be 
omitted,  as  a  removable 
metal  ring  will  take  its 
place. 

When  the  wooden  hub  is 
ready,  two  metal  parti- 
tions or  templets  of  the 
same  outline  as  the  chuck, 
though  about  one-half  inch 
larger  than  its  total  diam- 
eter, for  shrinkage  and 
finishing,  are  fastened  to 
the  hub  in  the  correct  posi- 
tion for  making  a  plaster 
pattern  for  the  key  section. 
These  patterns  should 
have  extension  ends  so 
that  the  sections  when  cast 
may  be  held  by  them  while 
they  are  being  turned. 
The  templets  should  be  banked  around  with  a  wad  of  clay,  and  they 
should  also  be  coated  on  the  inside  with  sperm  oil  to  keep  the  plas- 
ter from  sticking.  There  should  be  two  brads  driven  in  the  hub  for 
each  section  of  plaster  to  hold  the  sections  in  place  while  they  are 
being  turned.  After  the  plaster  for  the  key  section  has  hardened,  the 
templets  should  be  located    one  on  each  side  of  the  key  section,  so 


Machinery,  N.  T. 


Fig.  31.    Elevation  and  Plan  showing  Construction 
of  Sectional  Chuck 


28 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


that  the  two  adjacent  sections  may  be  made.  In  this  way  all  the 
sections  are  finished.  After  about  forty-eight  hours  the  plaster  will 
be  hard  enough  to  turn  in  the  lathe  with  a  hand  tool.  The  form 
should  be  roughly  outlined  and  plenty  of  stock  left  for  shrinkage,  as 
bronze  shrinks  considerably.  Before  taking  the  sections  off  the  wooden 
frame,  the  metal  band  D  should  be  removed  to  allow  the  sections  to 
be  separated.  This  should  not  be  done,  however,  until  they  are  num- 
bered, so  that  they  can  be  again  placed  in  their  proper  positions. 
After  the  sections  are  cast,  they  should  be  surfaced  on  a  disk  grinder, 
or  finished  with  a  file,  care  being  taken  to  remove  as  little  metal  as 
possible.     Each  section  is  next  tinned  on  both  contact  faces,  and  then 


Fig.  32.    A  Modern  Spinning  Lathe 

all  are  assembled  and  sweated  or  soldered  together  by  a  blow-pipe. 
It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  put  a  couple  of  strong  metal  bands  around 
the  sections  to  hold  them  firmly  in  place  when  soldering  and  also 
to  support  them  during  the  turning  operation. 

The  central  hub  A  should  be  machined  first;  then  the  assembled 
outside  shell  should  be  machined  to  fit  the  hub  A,  both  on  the  taper 
part  and  at  the  point  D.  While  the  segments  are  being  bored  and 
faced,  they  are  held  by  the  extension  ends  (not  shown)  which  were 
provided  for  this  purpose.  This  outer  shell  should  also  be  machined 
all  over  the  inside  so  that  it  will  be  in  balance.  It  is  then  taken  out  of 
the  chuck  and  a  hole  is  drilled  in  the  largest  section  for  drive  pin  H. 
The  hub  A  is  then  caught  in  the  lathe  chuck  with  the  assembled  sec- 
tions on  it,  and  a  seat  is  turned  for  the  cap  B.  After  this  is  done 
the  binder  bands  can  be  removed,  but  not  before.  The  chuck  can  be 
finished  with  a  hand  tool  and  file  after  the  roughing  cut  is  taken. 
After  the  sections   are   removed   from   the   hub  and   numbered  at  the 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS 


29 


bottom  or  inner  ends,  they  can  be  separated  by  heating  them.  If  the 
joints  are  properly  fitted  there  will  be  only  a  thin  film  of  solder, 
which  can  be  wiped  off  when  hot. 

A  twenty-four-inch  metal  spinning  lathe  that  is  rigged  up  in  a  mod- 
ern way,  is  shown  in  Fig.  32.  The  hand  wheel  of  the  tailstock  has 
been  discarded  for  the  lever  A,  which  is  more  rapid  and  can  be  ma- 
nipulated without  stopping  the  lathe.  This  lathe  has  a  roller  bearing 
for  the  center  B  which  is  a  practical  improvement  over  types  pre- 
viously used.  The  pin  C,  which  is  used  in  the  rest  as  a  fulcrum  for 
the  spinning  tools,  is  also  an  improvement,  being  larger  than  those 
ordinarily  used.     It  is  %  inch  in  diameter,  6  inches  long,  and  it  has 


r 

■H 

Ah 

*  l 

v 
> 

? 

Fig.  33.    View  shoeing  how  the  Tool  is  held  when  Spinning 

a  reduced  end  for  the  holes  in  the  rest,  %  inch  in  diameter  by  1  inch 
long.  This  pin  is  large  enough  so  that  the  spinner  can  conveniently 
hold  it  with  his  left  hand  when  necessary,  and  it  can  also  be  rapidly 
changed  to  different  holes.  The  pins  ordinarily  used,  because  of  their 
small  size,  do  not  have  these  advantages.  The  speed  of  a  spinning 
lathe  having  a  five-step  cone  should  be  about  2,250  to  2,300  revolu- 
tions per  minute  with  the  belt  on  the  smallest  step,  and  from  600  to 
700  revolutions  per  minute  with  the  belt  on  the  largest  step.  The 
fastest  speed  given  is  suitable  for  all  work  under  5  inches  in  diam- 
eter, and  the  slowest  for  work  within  the  capacity  of  the  lathe.  On 
large  shells  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  change  from  one  speed  to 
another  as  the  work  progresses.  Figs.  33  and  34  show  the  spinner  at 
work,  and  illustrate  how  the  tool  should  be  held,  and  also  the  proper 
position  of  the  left  hand. 


30 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


Construction  of  the  Tailstock  and  Back-center 

Fig.  35  shows  a  spinning-lathe  tailstock,  which  has  been  changed 
from  the  hand-wheel-and-screw  type  to  one  having  a  lever  and  a  roller 
bearing.  The  spindle  A  which  is  withdrawn  from  the  lever  and 
turned  one-quarter  of  a  revolution  to  give  a  better  view  of  the  rollers, 
is  made  from  1%-inch  cold  rolled  steel.  The  rollers  against  which 
the  center  bears  do  not  project  beyond  the  spindle,  so  that  the  latter 
can  be  withdrawn  through  the  tailstock.  This  eliminates  the  excessive 
overhang  caused  by  ball  bearings  and  other  centers.  When  the  cen- 
ter projects  too  far,  the  tailstock  cannot  be  set  close  to  the  wcrk 
owing  to  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  the  center  when  removing  the 


HH 

i 

i 

■\^k       ►-     t 

UaH* 

|UA 

H 

i 

I 

1    m-1  1 

sl»\ 

^^^T    - 

HI      m  : 

^n 

Eft 

K_.IL 

*&  -    -.:,-,; 

-  "^^^HS 

uB 

IB 

BCSS 

^^&v^«r                    I 

-»- 1 

fl^S« 

Fig.  34.    Another  View  shewing  the  Position  of  the  Spinner  and  the 
Way  the  Tool  is  held  -when  forming  the  Metal 

spun  part.  The  application  of  this  principle  to  a  spinning  lathe  is 
original  and  the  type  of  center  illustrated  was  used  only  after  all 
other  kinds  had  failed,  including  all  the  types  of  ball  bearings  and 
revolving  pins.  The  best  forms  of  ball  bearing  centers  do  not  last 
over  a  year,  if  in  constant  use,  and  they  will  not  always  revolve  on 
small  work.  Two  other  spindles  are  shown  in  this  engraving,  which 
were  taken  from  other  lathes  in  order  to  show  different  views  of  the 
parts.  The  cylindrical  pieces  B  are  the  hardened  friction  rollers 
which  belong  in  the  slot  of  the  spindle  F,  and  C  is  the  hardened  pin 
upon  which  they  revolve.  The  hardened  center  D  has  a  threaded  end 
on  which  the  back-centers  E  of  different  lengths  and  shapes  are 
screwed.  The  friction  rollers  should  always  be  in  a  vertical  position, 
and  care  should  be  taken  to  have  them  exactly  central  with  the  spindle. 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS  31 

and  also  gives  the  principal  dimensions  of  a  roller  bearing  for  a  1%- 
inch  spindle.  A  is  a  hardened  steel  bushing,  which  is  driven  into 
the  machine  steel  spindle.  The  parts  B  are  the  hardened  steel  rollers 
which  travel  in  opposite  directions.  These  rollers  have  a  small  amount 
of  friction,  and  this  is  distributed  over  a  large  area.     A  spindle  revolv- 


Fig.  35.    Detailed  View  of  a  Spinning-lathe  Taiistock 

ing  at  2,300  revolutions  per  minute  will  not  cause  these  rollers  to 
rotate  very  rapidly,  while  a  ball  bearing  with  balls  traveling  in  a 
channel  iy2  inch  or  2  inches  in  diameter  would  be  traveling  at  the 
same  speed  as  the  driving  spindle.  They  also  wear  out  rapidly  as  the 
end  strain  is  very  great,  it  being  necessary  to  force  the  center  against 


!    _i_ 
_i 


K                    1 

( 

, 

o 

— *B 

*       \ 

«•— 1 

B 

r    ; 

i**# 

i 
l 
*               1 

+-?&WV 


f 

1. 

i     ::  c 

\ 

B 

JB 

J 

section  a-a 


Fig.  36.     Sectional  View  showing  the  Back-center  and  its 
Double  Roller  Bearing 

the  metal  with  considerable  pressure  to  keep  it  from  slipping.  C  is  the 
hardened  pin  upon  which  the  rollers  revolve,  and  D  is  the  hardened 
spindle  on  which  the  various  back-centers  are  screwed.  The  collar  E 
should  either  be  flattened  for  a  wrench,  or  a  5/16-inch  hole,  in  which  a 
wire  can  be  inserted,  should  be   drilled  through  the  spindle,  so  that 


32 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


it  can  be  kept  from  rotating  when  screwing  on  the  back-centers.  Some 
spinners  prefer  the  spindle  loose,  so  that  it  can  be  withdrawn  when 
changing  the  centers,  while  others  prefer  one  with  considerable  lateral 
motion,  but  not  enough  to  permit  of  withdrawal.  By  inserting  a 
screw-point  in  the  recess  F,  the  center  has  considerable  lateral  mo- 
tion, but  not  enough  to  allow  it  to  be  withdrawn.  This  recess  is  use- 
ful in  that  it  helps  to  distribute  the  oil.  All  parts  should  be  hard- 
ened and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  color;  they  should  also  be  ground  or 
lapped  to  a  true  fit  after  hardening.     Back-centers  of  this  construction 


Fig.  37.    Attachment  used  for  Rolling  Sharp  Turns  and  Beads 

have  been   in   use  for  over  three   years   in  one  establishment,   and   it 
has  not  been  necessary  to  replace  a  single  part. 

Tools  Used  in  Metal  Spinning 

Fig.  37  shows  an  attachment  which  is  used  to  roll  any  bead  or  form. 
This  tool,  when  in  use,  is  inserted  in  the  tailstock  spindle  in  place 
of  the  regular  center.  It  is  adjustable  for  any  diameter.  The  roll 
illustrated  is  for  making  a  sharp  turn,  but  rounds  and  other  forms 
are  used.  The  shell  being  spun  by  this  tool  should  be  held  on  a  hol- 
low chuok.  The  roll  is  set  at  a  point  where  the  metal  is  to  be  turned 
over,  and  by  its  use  the  curve  may  be  governed  and  made  uniform 
with  less  skill  than  when  the  work  is  done  by  "air  spinning."  In 
addition,  the  spinning  may  be  done  in  less  time.  This  attachment, 
for  some  shapes,  makes  the  use  of  sectional  chucks  unnecessary. 

Fig.  38  shows  several  spinning  tools,  the  heads  of  which  were  turned 
in  the  lathe  instead  of  being  forged.  This  method  of  making  spin- 
ning tools  is  believed  to  be  original.  The  spinners  prefer  them  to 
the  tools  which  are  forged  in  one  piece,  because  the  heads  which 
are  screwed  to  the  shanks    are  made  of  the  best  quality  of  steel,  such 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS 


33 


as  the  high-speed  or  self-hardening  steel.  The  shapes  are  also  better 
and  the  surfaces  more  true.  The  heads  of  these  tools  are  all  threaded 
with  standard  ^4-inch,  %-inch  and  %-inch  pipe  taps,  according  to  the 
size.  Obviously,  a  spinner  can  have  as  many  different  shaped  heads 
as  may  be  required  of  each  of  the  sizes  given,  and  only  one  handle. 


Fig.  38.     Metal  Spinning1  Tools  with  High-speed  Steel  Removable  Heads 

The  tapering  threads  in  these  heads  insure  that  they  will  always 
screw  on  the  shanks  tightly  no  matter  how  often  they  may  be  replaced. 
The  ^-inch  size  takes  a  %-inch  cold  rolled  holder;  the  %-inch*,  a 
%-inch  holder,  and  the  ^-inch,  a  %-inch  holder.  These  will  be  found 
large  enough  for  the  heaviest  work.     The  egg-shaped  tool  A  is  a  good 


Fig.  39.    Tools  used  for  Trimming  and  Skimming  Spun  Work 

form  for  roughing  or  breaking  down,  as  it  has  plenty  of  clearance 
on  the  heel,  and  a  blunt  point  that  will  not  tear  the  metal.  This  tool 
is  shown  in  four  sizes.  The  ball  or  spherical  tool  B  is  a  good  one  to 
to  use  on  curves  and  large  sweeps.  The  tool  C  is  elliptic,  and  is 
slightly   different   from   A,   as   it  has   a   blunter   point.     One   or  these 


34 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


heads  is  shown  at  D  screwed  onto  a  reducer  by  which  it  is  held  in  the 
lathe  chuck  while  being  turned.  These  heads  or  points  can  also  be 
turned  while  on  the  handle  by  using  a  steady  rest. 


Fig.  40.    A  Group  of  Spinning  Tools  of  Various  Shapes 


Pig.  41.    Another  Group  of  Spinning  Tools 

A  group  of  trimmers,  skimmers  and  edgers  is  shown  in  Fig,  39. 
Three  skimmers  of  the  built-up  type  are  illustrated,  the  shanks  being 
cf  machine  steel  and  the  blades  being  riveted  to  the  holders.     These 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS  35 

blades  are  made  of  either  high-speed  or  regular  steel.  Skimmers 
which  are  forged  in  the  regular  way  from  one  piece  of  steel,  are 
shown  at  B.  A  number  of  edgers  C,  which  are  made  of  high-speed  or 
self-hardening  steel,  are  also  illustrated.  These  tools  are  used  with- 
out handles  until  they  are  worn  down  short,  after  which  tangs  are 
forged  on  their  ends  and  they  are  used  in  handles.  Edgers  are  util- 
ized on  all  kinds  of  work  for  trimming  the  ends  of  the  shells.  The 
skimmer  is  seldom  used  on  metal  chucks,  but  mostly  in  connection 
with  wooden  chucks,  where  the  metal  cannot  be  smoothed  down  with 
a  planisher.  The  skimmer  is  run  over  the  metal  lightly,  taking  a 
thin    shaving   and    smoothing   the    uneven   surfaces.      It   requires    con- 


Fig.  42.    Spinners'  Pliers  which  are  used  for  turning  the  Edge  of  the 
Metal  •when  making  a  Large  Bend 

siderable  skill  to  use  this  tool  without  wasting  the  metal.  The  sur- 
face of  the  work  is  finished  with  emery  cloth  after  skimming. 

Figs.  40  and  41  show  a  number  of  spinning  tools  of  various  shapes. 
The  letters  A  indicate  the  breaking-down  or  round-nosed  tools  of  differ- 
ent sizes.  This  type  of  tool,  which  is  finished  smooth  and  has  a  blunt 
point,  is  used  for  forming  corners  and  sharp  angles,  and  it  is  the  tool 
most  commonly  used  by  spinners.  The  planishers  and  burnishers  B 
are  used  on  all  convex  surfaces  and  for  finishing  on  metal  chucks 
where  there  is  to  be  no  skimming  done.  The  tools  C  are  known  as 
hook  or  poker  tools,  and  they  are  used  to  turn  up  beads  or  curves  from 
the  inside-  of  the  shell.  The  holders  having  rollers  are  used  for  turn- 
ing over  beads,  the  metal  first  being  trimmed  and  turned  to  a  vertical 
position.  The  other  shapes  shown  are  irregular  tools  for  special  work 
and  they  are  not  in  daily  use. 

Two  pairs  of  spinners'  pliers  for  turning  over  the  edge  of  the  metal 
when  making  large  curves  are  shown  in  Fig.  42.     The  wedge-shaped 


36  No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 

pieces  shown  in  this  illustration  are  used  when  breaking  down  or 
roughing  shells  to  give  a  bearing  to  the  metal  in  order  to  prevent  it 
from  wrinkling  or  buckling  when  changing  its  formation.  These  pieces 
are  made  of  hard  wood  with  the  exception  of  the  one  to  the  right, 
which  is  of  steel.  When  one  of  these  pieces  is  in  use  it  is  held  in 
the  left  hand  at  a  point  directly  opposite  the  spinning  tool,  the  metal 
being  between  the  two.  Wood  is  preferable  in  most  cases,  as  it  does 
not  harden  the  metal  blank. 

The  tools  shown  in  Fig.  43  are  used  in  spinning  steel.     The  round 
tools  are  of  drawn  brass,  and  they  can  be  used  where  the  steel  tools 


Fig.  43.    Some  Spinning1  Tools  used  in 
Working  Steel 

cannot,  for  while  a  steel  tool  is  perfection  on  brass,  a  brass  tool  is  the 
only  thing  on  steel.  It  wears  out,  however,  much  more  rapidly  than 
one  of  steel.  The  rolls  shown  in  the  center  are  used  for  breaking 
down  steel  shells.  These  tools  are  hardened  and  have  hardened  roller 
bearings.  The  handles  are  made  of  one-inch  iron  pipe,  which  is  filled 
with  lead  to  give  weight  and  strength. 

Hard  wood  tools  that  are  used  for  breaking  down  large  thin  copper 
blanks  ranging  from  2  to  5  feet  in  diameter  are  shown  in  Fig.  44. 
These  tools  are  also  used  where  the  surface  that  the  tool  will  cover 
without  hardening  the  metal  is  important.  Blanks  which  are  broken 
down  with  these  tools  are  finished  with  the  regular  types. 

The  handles  of  spinning  tools  vary  in  diameter  from  1*4  to  1% 
inch,  and  in  length  from   16   inches  to   20   inches.     The  tools   should 


TOOLS  AND  METHODS  37 

project  from  the  handles  from  9  to  18  inches,  and  the  total  length  of 
the  tool  and  handle  should  average  from  30  to  34  inches. 

A  group  of  wood  working  tools  is  shown  in  Fig.  45.  These  tools 
are  of  the  type  commonly  used  by  spinners  for  turning  the  various 
shapes  of  wooden  spinning  chucks.  As  the  tools  illustrated  are  the 
kind  regularly  used  for  wood  turning  by  patternmakers  and  other 
wood-workers  generally,  they  will  need  no  description. 

Preparation  of  the  Metal 
Brass,  copper,  and  German  silver  should  be  pickled  after  annealing  in 
order  to  get  the  scale  or  oxide  from  the  surface.  There  are  furnaces 


Pig.  44.    Wooden  Tools  which  are  used  on  Large 
Thin  Copper  Blanks 

that  anneal  without  scaling  by  excluding  the  air  when  heating,  but 
they  are  not  in  general  use.  A  pickling  bath  may  be  made  by  using 
one  part  of  oil  of  vitriol  (sulphuric  acid)  and  five  parts  of  water.  The 
shells  can  be  put  in  hot,  or  the  bath  can  be  heated  by  a  coil  of  lead 
or  copper  pipe  running  through  it.  Steam  in  no  case  should  enter 
the  bath,  as  the  iron  in  the  feed  pipe,  will  spoil  the  pickle.  Any  basket 
or  box  that  may  be  used  to  hold  the  shells  in  the  pickle  should  not 
contain  any  iron.  If  a  box  is  used  it  should  be  held  together  with 
copper  nails.  The  pickle  can  be  used  cold,  but  it  will  take  a  little 
longer  time  to  remove  the  scale.  As  soon  as  the  scale  is  free,  which 
will  be  in  about  half  an  hour,  the  shells  should  be  removed  or  washed 
thoroughly  in  running  water.  The  shells  should  be  allowed  to  dry 
before   the   next  operation,   which   is   that   of   spinning.     A   lead-lined 


38 


No.  57— METAL  SPINNING 


wooden  tank  or  an  earthen  jar  may  be  used  for  holding  the  pickle. 
The  pkkle  which  is  used  for  steel  should  be  about  half  as  strong  as 
that  employed  for  brass.  After  the  work  is  in  this  pickle,  the  latter 
should  be  brought  to  the  boiling  point,  after  which  the  pieces  should 


Fig.  45.    Wood-turniner  Tools  which  are  u« 
Spinning  Chucks 


»d  in  turning 


be  taken   out   and   washed.     They   are   then   replaced   in   the   fire   for 
a  short  time  to  evaporate  any  acid  that  may  remain  after  washing. 

Finished  brass  articles  may  be  given  different  shades  by  dipping 
them  in  a  solution  consisting  of  one  part  aqua  fortis  (nitric  acid)  and 
two  parts  oil  of  vitriol.  This  solution  should  stand  seven  or  eight 
hours  to  cool  after  mixing,  and  be  kept  ,in  a  crock  immersed  in  a 
water  bath. 


OUTLINE   OP   A   COURSE    IN   SHOP  AND   DRAFTING-ROOM 

MATHEMATICS,  MECHANICS,  MACHINE  DESIGN 

AND  SHOP  PRACTICE 

Any  intelligent  man  engaged  in  mechanical  work  can  acquire  a  well-rounded 
mechanical  education  by  using  as  a  guide  in  his  studies  the  outline  of  the 
course  in  mechanical  subjects  given  below.  The  course  is  laid  out  so  as  to 
make  it  possible  for  a  man  of  little  or  no  education  to  go  ahead,  beginning 
wherever  he  finds  that  his  needs  begin.  The  course  is  made  up  of  units  so  that 
it  may  be  followed  either  from  beginning  to  end;  or  the  reader  may  choose 
any  specific  subject  which  may  be  of  especial  importance  to  him. 


Preliminary  Course  in  Arithmetic 
Jig  Sheets  1A  to  5A: — Whole  Num- 
bers:     Addition,    Subtraction,     Multi- 
plication, Division,  and  Factoring. 

Jig  Sheets  6 A  to  15 A: — Common 
Fractions  and  Decimal  Fractions. 

Shop  Calculations 

Reference  Series  No.  18.  Shop 
Arithmetic  for  the   Machinist. 

Reference  Series  No.  52.  Advanced 
Shop  Arithmetic  for  the  Machinist. 

Reference  Series  No.  53.  Use  of 
Logarithmic  Tables. 

Reference  Series  Nos.  54  and  55. 
Solution  of  Triangles. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  16.  Mathe- 
matical Tables.  A  book  for  general 
reference. 

Drafting-room  Practice 
Reference    Series   No.    2.     Drafting- 
room  Practice. 

Reference    Series    No.   8.     Working 

Drawings   and   Drafting-room   Kinks. 

Reference   Series   No.   33.     Systems 

and   Practice   of   the   Drafting-room. 

General  Shop  Practice 

Reference  Series  No.  10.  Examples 
of  Machine  Shop  Practice. 

Reference  Series  No.  7.  Lathe  and 
Planer  Tools. 

Reference  Series  No.  25.  Deep  Hole 
Drilling. 

Reference  Series  No.  38.  Grinding 
and  Grinding  Machines. 

Reference  Series  No.  48.  Files  and 
Filing. 

Reference  Series  No.  32.  Screw 
Thread  Cutting. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  1.  Screw 
Threads.  Tables  relating  to  all  the 
standard   systems. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  2.  Screws. 
Bolts  and  Nuts.     Tables  of  standards. 

Data  Sheet  Series  Nos.  10  and  11. 
Machine  Tool  Operation.  Tables  re- 
lating to  the  operation  of  lathes,  screw 
machines,    milling   machines,    etc. 

Reference    Series   Nos.    50    and    51. 


Principles    and    Practice    of    Assem- 
bling Machine  Tools. 

Reference  Series  No.  57.  Metal 
Spinning. 

Jig's  and  Fixtures 

Reference  Series  Nos.  41,  42  and  43. 
Jigs  and  Fixtures. 

Reference  Series  No.  3.     Drill  Jigs. 

Reference  Series  No.  4.  Milling 
Fixtures. 

Punch  and  Die  Work 

Reference  Series  No.  6.  Punch  and 
Die  Work. 

Reference  Series  No.  13.  Blanking 
Dies. 

Reference  Series  No.  26.  Modern 
Punch  and   Die  Construction. 

Tool  Making- 
Reference     Series     No      64.       Gage 
Making  and  Lapping. 

Reference  Series  No.  21.  Measur- 
ing Tools. 

Reference  Series  No.  31.  Screw 
Thread  Tools  and  Gages. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  3.  Taps  and 
Threading  Dies. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  4.  Reamers, 
Sockets,  Drills,  and  Milling  Cutters. 

Hardening  and  Tempering 
Reference    Series   No.    46.      Habden- 

ing  and  Tempering. 
Reference     Series     No.     63.       Heat 

Treatment  of  Steel. 

Blacksmith  Shop  Practice 
and  Drop  Forging 

Reference  Series  No.  44.  Machine 
Blacksmithing. 

Reference  Series  No.  61.  Black- 
smith Shop  Practice. 

Reference  Series  No.  45.  Drop  Forg- 
ing. 

Automobile  Construction 

Reference  Seines  No.  59.  Machines, 
Tools  and  Methods  of  Automobile 
Manufacture. 

Reference  Series  No.  60.  Construc- 
tion and  Manufacture  of  Automo- 
biles. 


Theoretical  Mechanics 
Reference  Series  No.  5.     First  Prin- 
ciples of  Theoretical  Mechanics. 

Reference  Series  No.  19.  Use  of 
Formulas  in  Mechanics. 

Gearing- 
Reference     Series     No.     15.       Spur 
Gearing. 

Reference  Series  No.  37.  Bevel 
Gearing. 

Reference  Series  No.  1.  Worm 
Gearing. 

Reference  Series  No.  20.  Spiral 
Gearing. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  5.  Spur 
Gearing.  General  reference  book  con- 
taining  tables   and   formulas. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  6.  Bevel, 
Spiral  and  Worm  Gearing.  General 
reference  book  containing  tables  and 
formulas. 

General  Machine  Design 

Reference  Series  No.  9.  Designing 
and  Cutting  Cams. 

Reference  Series  No.   11.     Bearings. 

Reference  Series  No.  56.  Ball 
Bearings. 

Reference  Series  No.  58.  Helical 
and  Elliptic  Springs. 

Reference  Series  No.  17.  Strength 
of  Cylinders. 

Reference  Series  No.  22.  Calcula- 
tions of  Elements  of  Machine  De- 
sign. 

Reference  Series  No.  24.  Examples 
of  Calculating  Designs. 

Reference  Series  No.  40.  Fly- 
wheels. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  7.  Shafting, 
Keys  and  Keyways. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  8.  Bearings, 
Couplings,  Clutches,  Crane  Chain 
and  Hooks. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  9.  Springs, 
Slides  and  Machine  Details. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  19.  Belt, 
Rope  and  Chain  Drives. 

Machine  Tool  Design 
Reference    Series   No.    14.      Details 

of  Machine  Tool  Design. 

Reference   Series  No.    16.     Machine 

Tool  Drives. 

Crane  Design 

Reference  Series  No.  23.  Theory  of 
Crane  Design. 

Reference  Series  No.  47.  Design 
of  Electric   Overhead  Cranes. 

Reference  Series  No.  49.  Girders 
for  Electric  Overhead  Cranes. 


Steam  and  Gas  Engine  Design 

Reference  Series  Nos.  67  to  72,  in- 
clusive. Steam  Boilers,  Engines, 
Turbines  and  Accessories. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  15.  Heat, 
Steam.  Steam  and  Gas  Engines. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  13.  Boilers 
and  Chimneys. 

Reference  Series  No.  65.  Formulas 
and  Constants  for  Gas  Engine  De- 
sign. 

Special  Course  in  Locomotive  Design 

Reference  Series  No.  27.  Boilers, 
Cylinders,  Throttle  Valve,  Piston 
and  Piston  Rod. 

Reference  Series  No.  28.  Theory 
and  Design  of  Stephenson  and  Wal- 
schaert  s  Valve  Motion. 

Reference  Series  No.  29.  Smoke- 
box,  Frames  and  Driving  Machinery. 

Reference  Series  No.  30.  Springs, 
Trucks,  Cab  and  Tender. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  14.  Locomo- 
tive and  Railway  Data. 

Dynamos  and  Motors 
Reference  Series  No.  34.     Care  and 
Repair  of  Dynamos  and  Motors. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  20.  Wiring 
Diagrams,  Heating  and  Ventilation, 
and  Miscellaneous   Tables. 

Reference  Series  Nos.  73  to  78,  in- 
clusive. Principles  and  Applications 
of  Electricity. 

Heating  and  Ventilation 
Reference     Series     No.     39.       Fans, 

Ventilation  and  Heating. 

Reference    Series   No.    66.      Heating 

and  Ventilating   Shops   and  Offices. 
Data  Sheet  Series  No.   20.     Wiring 

Diagrams,   Heating  and  Ventilation, 

and  Miscellaneous  Tables. 

Iron  and  Steel 

Reference  Series  No.  36.  Iron  and 
Steel. 

Reference  Series  No.  62.  Testing 
the  Hardness  and  Durability  of 
Metals. 

General  Reference  Books 

Reference  Series  No.  35.  Tables 
and  Formulas  for  Shop  and  Draft- 
ing-room. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  12.  Pipe  and 
Pipe  Fittings. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  17.  Mechan- 
ics and  Strength  of  Materials. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  18.  Beam 
Formulas  and  Structural  Design. 

Data  Sheet  Series  No.  20.  Wiring 
Diagrams,  Heating  and  Ventilation 
and  Miscellaneous  Tables. 


No.  50.  Principles  and  Practice  of  As- 
sembling- Machine  Tools,  Part  I. 

No.  51.  Principles  and  Practice  of  As- 
sembling" Machine  Tools,  Part  II. 

No.  52.  Advanced  Shop  Arithmetic  for 
the  Machinist. 

No.  53.  Use  of  Logarithms  and  Logar- 
ithmic Tables. 

No.  54.  Solution  of  Triangles,  Part  I. 
— Methods,   Rules  and  Examples. 

No.  55.  Solution  of  Triangles,  Part  II. 
— Tables   of   Natural    Functions. 

No.  56.  Ball  Bearing's. — Principles  of 
Design  and  Construction. 

No.  57.  Metal  Spinning1. — M  a  c  h  1  n  e  s, 
Tools  and  Methods  Used. 

No.  58.  Helical  and  Elliptic  Springs. — 
Calculation  and  Design. 

No.  59.  Machines,  Tools  and  Methods 
of  Automobile  Manufacture. 

No.  60.  Construction  and  Manufacture 
of  Automobiles. 

No.  61.  Blacksmith  Shop  Practice. — 
Model  Blacksmith  Shop;  Welding;  Forg- 
ing of   Hooks  and   Chains;    Miscellaneous. 

No.  62.  Hardness  and  Durability  Test- 
ing of  Metals. 

No.  63.  Heat  Treatment  of  Steel. — 
Hardening,   Tempering,  Case-Hardening. 

No.  64.     Gage  Making  and  Lapping. 

No.  65.  Pormulas  and  Constants  for 
Gas  Bngine  Design. 

No.  66.  Heating  and  Ventilation  of 
Shops  and  Offices. 

No.  67.     Boilers. 

No.  68.  Boiler  Furnaces  and  Chim- 
neys. 

No.  69.     Feed  Water  Appliances. 

No.  70.     Steam  Engines. 

No.  71.     Steam  Turbines. 

No.  72.  Pumps,  Condensers,  Steam  and 
Water  Piping. 

No.  73.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,  Part  I. — Static  Electricity; 
Electrical    Measurements;    Batteries. 

No.  74.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,  Part  II. — Magnetism;  Elec- 
tro-Magnetism ;     Electro-Plating. 

No.  75.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,  Part  III. — Dynamos;  Motors; 
Electric    Railways. 

No.  76.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,    Part    IV. — Electric    Lighting, 

No.  77.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,  Part  V. — Telegraph  and  Tele- 
phone. 

No.  78.  Principles  and  Applications  of 
Electricity,  Part  VI. — Transmission  of 
Power. 


No.  79.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  I.— 
Main  and  Side  Rods. 

No.  80.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  II. 
— Wheels;  Axles;  Driving  Boxes. 

No.  81.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  III. 
— Cylinders    and    Frames. 

No.  82.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  IV. 
— Valve  Motion. 

No.  83.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  V 
— Boiler    Shop    Practice. 

No.  84.  Locomotive  Building,  Part  VI. 
— Erecting. 

No.  85.  Mechanical  Drawing,  Part  I. 
— Instruments;  Materials;  Geometrical 
Problems. 

No.  86.  Mechanical  Drawing,  Part  II. 
— Projection. 

No.  87.  Mechanical  Drawing,  Part  III 
— Machine   Details. 

No.  88.  Mechanical  Drawing,  Part  IV. 
— Machine    Details. 

No.  89.  The  Theory  of  Shrinkage  and 
Forced   Fits. 

No.  90.     Railway   Repair  Shop  Practice. 

No.  91.     Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 

The   Lathe,  Part  1. 

No.  92.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Tin'   Lathe,  Part  II. 

No.  93.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Planer,   Shaper,   Slotter. 

No.  94.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Drilling   Machines. 

No.  95.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Boring  Machines. 

No.  96.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Milling  Machines,  Part  I. 

No.  97.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Milling  Machines,  Part  II. 

No.  98.  Operation  of  Machine  Tools. — 
Grinding  Machines. 

No.  99.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,  Part  I. — Operation  of  the  Brown 
&  Sharpe  Automatic  Screw  Machine. 

No.  100.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Fractice,  Part  II. — Designing  and  Cutting 
Cams   for   the   Automatic    Screw   Machine. 

No.  101.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,  Part  III. — Circular  Forming  and 
Cut-off  Tools. 

No.  102.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,  Part  IV. — External  Cutting 
Tools. 

No.  103.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,   Part   V — Internal  Cutting   Tools. 

No.  104.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,   Part  VI. — Threading  Operations. 

No.  105.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice.   Part  VII. — Knurling  Operations. 

No.  106.  Automatic  Screw  Machine 
Practice,  Part  VIII. — Cross  Drilling,  Burr- 
ing and   Slotting  Operations. 


ADDITIONAL  TITLES  WILL  BE  ANNOUNCED  IN    MACHINERY    FROM  TIME  TO  TIME 


MACHINERY'S    DATA    SHEET    SERIES 

Machinery's  Data  Sheet  Books  include  the  well-known  series  of  Data  Sheets 
originated  by  Machinery,  and  issued  monthly  as  supplements  to  the  publication; 
of  these  Data  Sheets  over  500  have  been  published,  and  6,000,000  copies  sold.  Re- 
vised and  greatly  amplified,  they  are  now  presented  in  book  form,  kindred  sub- 
jects being  grouped  together.  The  purchaser  may  secure  either  the  books  on 
those  subjects  in  which  he  is  specially  interested,  or,  if  he  pleases,  the  whole  set  at 
one  time.  The  price  of  each  book  is  25  cents  (one  shilling)  delivered  anywhere 
in  the  world. 


CONTENTS  OF  DATA  SHEET  BOO 


No.  1.  Screw  Threads. — United  States, 
"Whitworth,  Sharp  V-  and  British  Associa- 
tion Standard  Threads;  Briggs  Pipe 
Thread;  Oil  Well  Casing  Gages;  Fire  Hose 
Connections;  Acme  Thread;  Worm 
Threads;  Metric  Threads;  Machine,  Wood, 
and  Lag  Screw  Threads;  Carriage  Bolt 
Threads,  etc. 

No.  2.  Screws,  Bolts  and  Nuts. — Fil- 
lister-head, Square-head,  Headless,  Col- 
lar-head and  Hexagon-head  Screws;  Stand- 
ard and  Special  Nuts;  T-nuts,  T-bolts  and 
Washers;  Thumb  Screws  and  Nuts;  A.  L. 
A.  M.  Standard  Screws  and  Nuts;  Machine 
Screw  Heads;  Wood  Screws;  Tap  Drills; 
'Lock  Nuts;  Eye-bolts,  etc. 

No.  3.  Taps  and  Dies. — Hand,  Machine, 
Tapper  and  Machine  Screw  Taps;  Taper 
Die  Taps;  Sellers  Hobs;  Screw  Machine 
Taps;  Straight  and  Taper  Boiler  Taps; 
Stay-bolt,  Washout,  and  Patch-bolt  Taps; 
Pipe  Taps  and  Hobs;  Solid  Square,  Round 
Adjustable  and  Spring  Screw  Threading 
Dies. 

No.  4.  Reamers,  Sockets,  Drills  and 
Milling'  Cutters. — Hand  Reamers;  Shell 
Reamers  and  Arbors;  Pipe  Reamers;  Taper 
Pins  and  Reamers;  Brown  &  Sharpe, 
Morse  and  Jarno  Taper  Sockets  and  Ream- 
ers; Drills;  Wire  Gages;  Milling  Cutters; 
Setting  Angles  for  Milling  Teeth  in  End 
Mills  and  Angular  Cutters,  etc. 

No.  5.  Spur  Gearing. — Diametral  and 
Circular  Pitch;  Dimensions  of  Spur  Gears; 
Tables  of  Pitch  Diameters;  Odontograph 
Tables;  Rolling  Mill  Gearing;  Strength  of 
Spur  Gears;  Horsepower  Transmitted  by 
Cast-iron  and  Rawhide  Pinions;  Design  of 
Spur  Gears;  Weight  of  Cast-iron  Gears; 
Epicyclic  Gearing. 

No.  6.  Bevel,  Spiral  and  Worm  Gear- 
ing.— Rules  and  Formulas  for  Bevel 
Gears;  Strength  of  Bevel  Gears;  Design 
of  Bevel  Gears;  Rules  and  Formulas  for 
Spiral  Gearing;  Tables  Facilitating  Calcu- 
lations; Diagram  for  Cutters  for  Spiral 
Gears;  Rules  and  Formulas  for  Worm 
Gearing,  etc. 

No.  7.  Shafting,  Keys  and  Keyways. — 
Horsepower  of  Shafting;  Diagrams  and 
Tables  for  the  Strength  of  Shafting; 
Forcing,  Driving,  Shrinking  and  Running 
Fits;  Woodruff  Keys;  United  States  Navy 
Standard  Keys;  Gib  Keys;  Milling  Key- 
ways;  Duplex  Keys. 

No.  8.  Bearings,  Couplings,  Clutches, 
Crane  Chain  and  Hooks.— Pillow  Blocks; 
Babbitted  Bearings;  Ball  and  Roller  Bear- 
ings; Clamp  Couplings;  Plate  Couplings; 
Flange  Couplings;  Tooth  Clutches;  Crab 
Couplings;  Cone  Clutches;  Universal 
Joints;  Crane  Chain;  Chain  Friction; 
Crane  Hooks;  Drum  Scores. 

No.  9.  Springs,  Slides  and  Machine 
Details.— Formulas  and  Tables  for  Spring 
Calculations;  Machine  Slides;  Machine 
Handles  and  Levers;  Collars;  Hand 
Wheels;  Pins  and  Cotters;  Turn-buckles, 
etc.  ' 

No.  10.  Motor  Drive,  Speeds  and  Feeds, 
Change  Gearing,  and  Boring  Bars. — Power 
required  for  Machine  Tools;  Cutting 
Speeds  and  Feeds  for  Carbon  and  High- 
speed Steel;  Screw  Machine  Speeds  and 
Feeds;     Heat     Treatment    of    High-speed 


LIBRARY   OF   CONGRESS 


in  iiiii  mi  mil  mil  inn  ii 

013  960  723  5    # 


Steel  Tools;  Taps 

ing  for  the  Lathe,  cm 

etc. 

No.  11.  Milling  Machine  Indexing, 
Clamping  Devices  and  Planer  Jacks. — 
Tables  for  Milling  Machine  Indexing; 
Change  Gears  for  Milling  Spirals;  Angles 
for  setting  Indexing  Head  when  Milling 
Clutches;  Jig  Clamping  Devices;  Straps 
and  Clamps;  Planer  Jacks. 

No.  12.  Pipe  and  Pipe  Fittings. — Pipe 
Threads  and  Gages;  Cast-iron  Fittings; 
Bronze  Fittings;  Pipe  Flanges;  Pipe 
Bends;  Pipe  Clamps  and  Hangers;  Dimen- 
sions of  Pipe  for  Various  Services,  etc. 

No.  13.  Boilers  and  Chimneys. — Flue 
Spacing  and  Bracing  for  Boilers;  Strength 
of  Boiler  Joints;  Riveting;  Boiler  Setting; 
Chimneys. 

No.  14.  Locomotive  and  Railway  Data. 
— Locomotive  Boilers;  Bearing  Pressures 
for  Locomotive  Journals;  Locomotive 
Classifications;  Rail  Sections;  Frogs, 
Switches  and  Cross-overs;  Tires;  Tractive 
Force;  Inertia  of  Trains;  Brake  Levers; 
Brake  Rods,  etc. 

No.  15.  Steam  and  Gas  Engines. — Sat- 
urated Steam;  Steam  Pipe  Sizes;  Steam 
Engine  Design;  Volume  of  Cylinders; 
Stuffiing  Boxes;  Setting  Corliss  Engine 
Valve  Gears;  Condenser  and  Air  Pump 
Data;  Horsepower  of  Gasoline  Engines; 
Automobile    Engine    Crankshafts,    etc. 

No.  16.  Mathematical  Tables. — Squares 
of  Mixed  Numbers;  Functions  of  Frac- 
tions; Circumference  and  Diameters  of 
Circles;  Tables  for  Spacing  off  Circles; 
Solution  of  Triangles;  Formulas  for  Solv- 
ing Regular  Polygons;  Geometrical  Pro- 
gression, etc. 

No.  17.  Mechanics  and  Strength  of  Ma- 
terials.— Work;  Energy;  Centrifugal 
Force;  Center  of  Gravity;  Motion;  Fric- 
tion; Pendulum;  Falling  Bodies;  Strength 
of  Materials;  Strength  of  Flat  Plates; 
Ratio  of  Outside  and  Inside  Radii  of 
Thick  Cylinders,  etc. 

No.  18.  Beam  Formulas  and  Structural 
Design. — Beam  Formulas;  Sectional  Mod- 
uli of  Structural  Shapes;  Beam  Charts; 
Net  Areas  of  Structural  Angles;  Rivet 
Spacing;  Splices  for  Channels  and  I- 
beams;    Stresses   in   Roof  Trusses,   etc. 

No.  19.  Belt,  Rope  and  Chain  Drives. — 
Dimensions  of  Pulleys;  Weights  of  Pul- 
leys; Horsepower  of  Belting;  Belt  Veloc- 
ity; Angular  Belt  Drives;  Horsepower 
transmitted  by  Ropes;  Sheaves  for  Rope 
Drive;  Bending  Stresses  in  Wire  Ropes; 
Sprockets  for  Link  Chains;  Formulas  and 
Tables  for  Various  Classes  of  Driving 
Chain. 

No.  20.  Wiring  Diagrams,  Heating  and 
Ventilation,  and  Miscellaneous  Tables.— 
Typical  Motor  Wiring  Diagrams;  Resist- 
ance of  Round  Copper  Wire;  Rubber  Cov- 
ered Cables;  Current  Densities  for  Vari- 
ous Contacts  and  Materials;  Centrifugal 
Fan  and  Blower  Capacities;  Hot  Water 
Main  Capacities;  Miscellaneous  Tables: 
Decimal  Equivalents,  Metric  Conversion 
Tables,  Weights  and  Specific  Gravity  of 
Metals,  Weights  of  Fillets,  Drafting-room 
Conventions,    etc. 


Machinery,  the  monthly  mechanical  journal,  originator  of  the  Reference  and 
Data  Sheet  Series,  is  published  in  four  editions— the  Shop  Edition,  $1.00  a  year; 
the  Engineering  Edition,  $2.00  a  year;  the  Railway  Edition,  $2.00  a  year,  and  the 
Foreign  Edition,  $3.00  a  year. 

The  Industrial  Press,  Publishers  of  Machinery, 
49-55  Lafayette  Street,  New  York  City,  U.  S.  A.